Their Story
by fulcrum101
Summary: Osea and her allies weren't the only one's fighting in the Belkan War. A high tier squadron of Yuktobanian aces fought in the Belkan War. This is their story.
1. Chapter 1

Their Story

Osea and her allies weren't the only one's fighting in the Belkan War. A high tier squadron of Yuktobanian aces fought in the Belkan War. This is their story.

Ch 1

Murska Air-base

Yuktobania

1st Lieutenant Nikita Bordin walked into the lounge of the air-base. Murska air-base wasn't a friendly base. It was cold, freezing, and depending on the time of year very dark. It reminded Nikita of Briggs Fortress, from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Nikita sat on a chair and turned on the television. The news was covering the ongoing tensions between Belka, Osea, and a few smaller countries in the area, such as Ustio, Recta, and Sapin.

 _Serves them right._ Nikita thought. He had no love for the capitalist and fascists. The entire sector would break into a massive war.

More people came in. Security guards, pilots, mechanics, etc. His squadron came and sat with him. Vasili Ilyich, his second in command. Good pilot, knows how to follow orders.

Julia Kazakova, great in air-to-air combat, but a bit of a trigger finger.

And Pavlov Mustang, which some considered a pyromaniac since he was one of the best ground attackers on the base.

"I hear that Belka might attack. They found resources in Ustio." Vasili said.

"Their economy isn't exactly up to spar right now. If war does break out, Osea will crush them. Osea's a superpower." Pavlov said.

"Boss, what do you think?" Julia asked.

"If they want war, it'll break out. We've been in this cold war with Osea for how long? We know the capabilities of the Belkans, especially their air-force." Nikita said. "What's more, late 1988, their government has a huge chance in leadership. Something might break. But it shouldn't concern us. We're in Yuktobania, not Osea or Ustio."

"That's true. But didn't Yuktobania and Recta sign an agreement?" Pavlov asked.

"Yeah. We did. We supply Recta with military and economic support. I don't know why they decided to ally with us, instead of Osea or Belka." Vasili said.

A Colonel came in and pulled Nikita aside.

"Commander Demi wants to see you." He said.

Nikita entered the base commander's office.

"Sit down, Lt." Demi said.

"Why am I here, sir?" Nikita asked.

"Top brass has been looking at the situation in the east more closely. It's not looking good. War is imminent." Demi said.

"We're over here. It doesn't concern us." Nikita said.

"It does. Recta is our ally in the region. I want you and your squadron to head over to Recta. You'll be based in the capital, Cor." Demi said.

"I'll head there. But you know about the Belkan's capabilities. Their air-force." Nikita said.

"That's why you're being sent. Your squadron is one of the best on this side of the continent. Show Recta that her allies will stand next to her." Demi said. "Make the motherland proud."

"I will. Count on it, comrade." Nikita said.

Nikita came to the room, and called his squadron over.

"Pavlov, Julia, Vasili, pack your bags. We got orders."

"What's going on?" Vasili asked.

"I'll tell you later. Get packed. We're heading east." Nikita said.

The 3 pilots were a bit nerved, but headed to their barracks. Quickly packed, they headed towards the hanger containing the MiG-29 Fulcrums.

"Sir, why are we heading east?" Pavlov asked.

"Brass is sending us over to provide support to Recta. If war does break out, we need to help our allies." Nikita said.

Nikita sat in a MiG-29 Fulcrum, Vasili grabbed an older MiG-23 Flogger, Julia grabbed a rare ISAF Typhoon, and Pavlov took the MiG-25 Frogfoot.

"Stay on course 079 and cross the Ceres Ocean. Tankers will meet us over the ocean to refuel us. If not, we land at Sand Island, and refuel there." Nikita said.

"Aren't we in a cold war with Osea? Why would they help us?" Pavlov asked.

"If they kill us, we got to war against Osea. Osea will have to deal with Belka and Yuktobania at the same time. Not something they want to face. We'll be fine. I hope." Nikita said.

The flight went with no problems, and as said, the tankers were there.

"Tanker 650, I see you. Me and my squadron need to refuel. We're bingo fuel." Nikita said.

"Copy that, Akula Squadron. Tank up." The operator on the tanker said.

Nikita guided the fuel rod into the fuel hose on the E-767 tanker. With the fuel now secured, and his squadron capped off, he continued on course towards Recta.

"This is the 25th Ustio tactical fighter squadron. Belkans are all over us! Request assistance!" was heard over the radio.

"This is the 59th Ustio tactical fighter squadron. We've been annihilated by the Belkans. We can't send support."

"This is the Yuktobanian Akula squadron. We're here to assist." Nikita said.

"Yuktobania? We can take all the help we can get." The Ustians said.

"Pavlov, head south-east, and avoid as much fighting as possible. Get to Cor." Nikita said. "Everyone else, arm your missiles, and fire on sight."

The 3 Yuktobanian fighters dove straight into the fray.

Nikita armed his R-27 and R-73 missiles. He chased an older MiG-21 Fishbed, and quickly shot it down.

The radar chirped, and Nikita turned his head, and saw an F-4 phantom chasing him. Nikita increased his speed and left the older jet behind. To his horror, a missiles was screaming at him.

Nikita quickly banked left real hard, and crushing G forces slammed into his body. The missiles failed to follow and Nikita continued the hard turn.

The Phantom was soon in his sights, and he fired his 30mm cannon at the sluggish bird, damaging it.

"Roy 7, damaged. I'm bugging out." The phantom pilot said, attempted to run. Nikita fired an R-27, finishing him.

"You bastard! Only a merc would shoot down a wounded plane." A Belkan yelled in anger.

"We're not Mercs. We're fighter pilots from Yuktobania." Vasili said.

"From what?!" the Belkan shouted in response.

"Yeah. Prepare to get fucked over by two super-powers." Nikita said, although a Mirage 2000D was chasing him.

30mm bullets screamed towards the MiG, but Nikita rolled the fighter and evaded the bullets. Cutting the throttle back, the Mirage overshot, and attempted to regain the advantage.

"You're dead." Nikita said, as he fired a missile, and blew the Belkan to pieces.

Vasili pulled a split S, and chased after two Belkan F-20s. Firing a missile, he blew the first Belkan dead, and chased after the second one. Firing his guns, the bullets pierced the F-20's left wing and tore it off. The remains of the Tigershark fell to the earth.

"Get him off me!" An Ustio pilot said, trying to avoid a MiG-21 Fishbed.

Julia caught sight of the engagement, and joined the fray.

"Hold still, you bastard." She muttered, trying to get a lock. The Belkan noticed her, and pulled up hard, accelerating as fast as the older jet could do. The Typhoon was faster, and Julia pulled the trigger, sending a sidewinder missile towards the Belkan fighter, destroying it.

Despite the kills, the Belkans has the advantage. Nikita's flight was tired, and low and fuel and ammo. They couldn't do anything against the Belkan onslaught. The radio chirped, and a recall order was heard.

"All Ustio and allied forces. Fall back. I repeat, fall back. Head towards Valais airbase. Repeat, fall back to Valais airbase."

"Captain, your orders?" Julia asked.

"Head towards Valais. We don't have the fuel, numbers, or the firepower to head towards Recta." Nikita said.

The surviving pilots arrived at Valais air-base, and from the cockpits, they saw massive lines of refugees.

"My god. Look at that." Pavlov muttered, flying in formation.

"Pavlov?" Nikita asked.

"Yeah. Was on my way when I heard the retreat order. Man, this sucks." He said.

"You're right. The Belkan war has begun." Nikita said.


	2. Chapter 2 glacial skies

Ch 2 Glacial Skies

Valais air-force base was rather empty, with only half a squadron to defend it. The bulk was Nikita and his 3 wingman. The two others were Ustio pilots who escaped the massacre.

"I heard that they will hire mercenaries." Vasili said.

"I would." Nikita said.

The base commander called Nikita aside.

"Nikita, I got news for your squadron." Commander Armstrong said.

"What is it?" Nikita asked.

"As you know, thing's aren't looking so good around here. And the country of Sapin called. Their air-force is torn up as well. Belkans are curb-stomping them. They also lost a fleet." Armstrong said.

"Go on." Nikita said, getting a general picture.

"I hate to break it to you, but your squadron is being redeployed to the Sapin front. You of course, will stay here." Armstrong said.

"Sir, you hardly have any pilots left. When the Belkans attack, you'll need everyone." Nikita objected.

"Don't worry. We got some mercenaries heading towards us today. From what I've heard, they're really good. You'll be part of Galm team. Galm 1 is Brian Stabler. Galm 2 is Larry Foulke. You'll be Galm 3." Armstrong said.

"Fine." Nikita said. He walked into the barracks, and notified his squadron.

"What?" Pavlov asked.

"That's right. All of you are being redeployed to the Sapin front. We're heavily stretched out as it is, but we have to follow orders." Nikita said.

And just like that, the squadron was disbanded. Nikita watched as his pilots were sent to fight for the country of Sapin. God knows if they would return or not.

Minutes later, Nikita heard the roar of jet engines, as two F-15C Eagles flew overhead, followed by a variety of fighters, such as Mirage 2000's, F-16s, and others.

The pilots stepped out of the lead Eagles. Nikita noticed that one of the fighters had its left wing painted red. Brain Stabler came out first. He was 5'10, green eyes, and black hair. He looked young at 24.

Larry Foulke came out after. He was 28 years old, had brown hair and eyes. Nikita walked over and introduced himself.

"I'm Nikita Bordin. I've been assigned to your squadron." Nikita said.

"Congratulations, kid." Larry spat.

Larry walked towards the barracks, not speaking to anyone.

"He's solo-wing Pixy?" Nikita asked.

"He is. I've heard and read reports about him. He's a damn good fighter pilot. He'll do a lot of good around here." Brian said.

Sitting in the lounge, Brian and Nikita continued talking.

"Any reason why the Belkans would start this war?" Nikita asked.

"There are many reasons. Some say it's because of the government. Others say something else. That doesn't matter to us soldiers, especially mercs. We get paid to kill, no matter who it is." Brian said.

"Ain't that the fucking truth." Larry said, sitting on the couch, and drinking a soda.

"Hey Larry." Nikita said.

Larry just waved a hand.

"Yo buddy, where are you from?" Pixy asked.

"Yuktobania. Me and my squadron were heading towards Recta, but Belkan fighters ambushed us. We couldn't kill them all, so we fled here. And the base commander transferred my whole squadron to the Sapin front." Nikita said.

"That's rough man. Tomorrow, the Belkans might try to attack us. I would." Larry said.

"Lets get some rest. We'll need it for tomorrow." Brian said, heading towards his quarters.

"Nikita, I got some advice." Larry said, as Nikita was heading towards his room.

"What is it?" Nikita asked.

"Remember it's every man for himself. That's why I became a merc." Larry said.

That night, a Belkan F-117 nighthawk appeared over Valais air-base. The pilot took pictures of the defenses, and amount of fighters. Only a few SAM sites, some flak guns and heavy machine guns. The fighters weren't doing so well. It was 3 F-15Cs, one MiG-29A, 4 Mirage 2000Ds, and 3 F-4s.

Smiling, he headed back towards Belka. That base would be destroyed in the morning.

Next morning, the pilots were in the briefing room, awaiting the news. Most of the pilots were mercenaries, having already fought in various battles across the globe.

"Listen up! A squadron of Belkan bombers has crossed our border, and is heading towards Valais air-base. Apparently, they intend to attack our base, and gain entire hegemony over the republic of Ustio. We're the last line of defense. If this base falls, nothing can stop the Belkans from taking Ustio at will. Destroy the bombers and defend our base. Belka's invasion must end here. We're sending all remaining fighters. Dismissed." Armstrong said.

"Well that's cheerful. No pressure." Larry muttered.

"You said it." Nikita agreed.

The fighters quickly took to the skies, with the Galm team in the lead.

"It's starting to come down." Larry said, noting the falling snow.

"This is base command. Glad you boys made it all up." The commander said.

"Bearing 315. Belkan bombers on approach." A radar operator informed.

"Nobody wants to bail out in a mountain of ice. We're counting on you flight leader." Pixy said. As an afterthought, Larry also added one more thing.

"You better have our pay ready for us."

"That's if we make out of this alive." Armstrong said.

"Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it." Pixy said.

Nikita flew next to Cipher, and armed his missiles. He then heard Larry say something on the wireless.

"All those too scared to fly should go back to base and wait patiently with their tail between their legs."

Nikita sighted a Bm-335 and locked onto it. He pulled the trigger, and an R-27 screamed towards the bomber and blew half a wing off, sending it to its grave.

"That bomber looks ancient." A pilot said, observing Nikita's kill.

Nikita looked behind him, and saw an F-5 getting on his tail. Nikita accelerated and pulled the stick hard in his gut. The Fulcrum pitched up 90 degrees, and the Tiger 2 overshot, unable to match the maneuver. Nikita leveled out, and fired his guns, blow the older jet to pieces.

"This is Otto 5. IFF is out of commission. Unable to carry out duty. Withdrawing from airspace." A Belkan crewman said.

"Why would he leave after getting this far?" Pixy wondered, gunning down an F-4.

"He's mine." Cipher muttered. He sighted the trailing bomber, and fired a Sparrow missile, destroying it.

"Low life mercenaries! Only you would be so cowardly to shoot down a plane that's out of commission." A Belkan snarled.

"Learn to accept it. This is war." Nikita said, as he trailed behind another Bm-335. Its guns fired wildly, causing Nikita to evade. He pulled up and then dove down on the bomber, firing his guns. 30mm bullets ripped into an engine which promptly detonated, taking down the bomber as well.

"We're almost done here. Finish up the enemy bombers." Pixy said.

"How many are left?" Nikita asked.

"Just one, and he's mine." Ciper said, accelerating towards the lone bomber, and overshot.

"Thanks for leaving him open, Cipher." Larry smirked, and fired two sidewinders. The missiles burrowed into the bomber and detonated, destroying the plane beyond repair.

"All bombers are down. Repeat, all Belkan bombers are down." The Ustio base commander said.

"Cipher, Nikita. I got a feeling the three of us are going to get along just fine. Buddy." Larry said, ending the fight on a good note.

"I agree, comrade." Nikita said.

The pilots landed at the base, and held up fingers to show how many Belkans were shot down.

"Yo Buddy, lets get something to eat. I'm starved." Pixy said.

"Me too. I'm in the mood for a steak." Cipher said.

Belkan Capital, Dinsmark

Belka

General Ludendorff walked the halls of the capital building. He was pissed. The reports said that Ustio would fall quickly. Instead the reports of the survivors of the attacking strike force said that they were defeated by the remaining Ustio fighters, and that the majority were high-skilled mercenaries.

 _Mercenaries. Low life bastards, who only fight for money, instead of their country. They got no honor._ Ludendorff angrily thought. The reports were still haunting him. 3 pilots stood out. A Larry Foulke, call-sign Solo-wing Pixy. A mysterious one, Brian Stabler, call-sign Cipher. And the third one, Nikita Bordin. He had no call sign, yet.

Ludendorff slammed a door open, startling a rather fat general.

"Goering! You told me the operation would be a success, and Ustio would be in our hands." Ludendorff shouted.

"It did succeed." Goering said, eating a good slice of cheese cake.

"Then explain this. The attack failed. 3 pilots took down an entire squadron of our bombers." Ludendorff said, showing Goering the files.

"This is impossible. No-one should be able to beat the Belkans." Goering said.

"Well it just happened. The next place they will strike, is Route 171, in Arlon, Sapin." Ludendorff said, pointing on a map.

"Why their?" Goering asked.

"That road connects Ustio with Osea. If Ustio gets control of that road, Osea can send weapons and supplies to help Ustio. We will lose Ustio, and the allies can use the country as a launching point into Belka. I want that area secured." Ludendorff said.

"I'll secure it." Goering said.

"It'd better be secured, for your sake." Ludendorff muttered.


	3. Chapter 3 route 171

Ch 3 Rout 171

An Osean SR-71 flew over the Sapin road of rout 171, and took many photos. The pilots quickly sent them towards the Ustio base of Valais.

"Sir, look at this." A colonel said.

"Damn. The Belkans are arming the road. Any chance the Sapin forces can deal with them?" General Armstrong asked.

"Sir, The Sapin's are busy defending elsewhere. They're spread way to thing to defend the country. It'll take too long for the Oseans to get ready for an attack. You know how they are." The colonel spat.

"Yeah. Bureaucratic. That's pain. How many fighters can we spare to this road, and be able to defend Valais?" Armstrong asked.

"Only three. Galm team fits the picture." The officer said.

"I agree. I'll talk to them." Armstrong said.

Meanwhile, Galm team was talking with the rest of the Ustio pilots.

"You should have seen it. It was beautiful. We owned those Belkans." Larry said.

"I will admit, we hurt them a bit, but they'll come back." Nikita said.

"I know. But I've heard rumors of an alliance between us, Osea, and some other countries." Another pilot said.

"If that's true, we might win this war after all. It won't be just us mercs and Ustians." Brian said.

General Armstrong came in.

"Officer on deck." Nikita said, standing up and saluting. Military protocol was hard to break.

"At ease." Armstrong said, saluting back.

"What's the news, boss?" Larry asked.

"I have an assignment for the three of you." Armstrong said.

"Lay it on us." Barry said.

"An Osean SR-71 just sent us photos about Route 171. It's a main road that extends from here to Osea. The Belkans are arming up to defend against a counter attack. If we can't reclaim that road, we're screwed big time."

"Let me guess. You want us to the highway back." Larry said, drinking a yoohoo.

"Correct. Unfortunately, we don't have enough fighters to launch a full scale attack. We need to hit them right now. You three are going up. In 4 hours." Armstrong said.

Nikita spat out his soda all over the place.

"Are you nuts? It's only the three of us. AA defense will give us enough trouble, never mind enemy fighter. Can't you send any more?" he asked.

"No. We're dangerously short on supplies, weapons, everything. You three get into your flight gear, and go after them. Skids up in four hours." Armstrong said.

"Increase our pay." Larry said, earning looks from Brian and Nikita.

"Done." Armstrong said.

"That's all the incentive I need." Larry said, as he stood up and headed to get ready.

"Is he okay?" Nikita asked.

"I will admit. Larry isn't exactly right in the head. That's why he deserted Belka and became a merc." Brian said.

"Pixy's a Belkan?" Nikita asked, surprised.

"He is. But he helped take down those Belkan's. He's a good man. You don't have to worry about him." Brian said.

"I hope." Nikita muttered.

Nikita checked his MiG-29, and noticed it was armed with 6 rocket launchers. He was to be doing ground attacks. He also had a 20mm gun pod on the center line hard-point.

Nikita lined up on the tarmac, with the Eagles aside him.

"Pixy, what's your weapons?" Nikita asked.

"Air-to-air." Pixy said.

"Cipher, yours?" Nikita asked.

"Air-to-ground. Yours?" Cipher asked.

"Air-to-ground." Nikita said.

"Cut the chatter. Head towards Rout 171 and drive the Belkans out. AWACS Eagle Eye will accompany you. You are to follow his orders." Armstrong said over the intercom.

"Roger that. And have our pay ready." Larry said.

"Is that all you fight for, Pixy?" Nikita muttered. Nikita looked at the badge of the Union of Yuktobanian republics on his uniform. _This is why I'm out here. To protect my country from the Belkans._

The planes flew low to avoid the radar network set up by the Belkans. They were also concerned that the Sapin forces would also shoot them down. The Mercs didn't use legitimate Ustio IFF, and one of the pilots was flying with a Yuke IFF.

"We've crossed the border. We should be intercepting route 171 in 4 minutes. Follow it north-west to Osea." Eagle Eye said.

Soon, they found what they were looking for. Belkan forces on route 171.

"The target is in formation along the highway. Commence operation." Eagle Eye said.

"Keep an eye on us up there, AWACS." Pixy said, ascending to a higher altitude, searching for the Belkan fighters, while Nikita and Cipher attacked the ground targets. And there were plenty.

Cipher took the lead, and fired air-to-ground missiles at the Belkan tanks.

"Holy shit, there's a lot of them." Cipher muttered.

"Did those planes come from Ustio?" A Belkan asked.

"They must be getting desperate. But we're not giving up this territory." Another Belkan said.

Nikita strafed a column of tanks and armored vehicles. The Belkans were dumb enough to have they on the road, vulnerable to an airborne attack. Idiots!

"Talk about morons." Nikita muttered, as he filled the last tank with 30mm bullets.

"You said it. And there's not a whole lot of enemy fighters here. Something's wrong." Pixy said, chasing an F-4 and quickly gunning him down.

"What do you mean?" Cipher asked, dropping shrapnel bombs on a column of buildings.

"This is Ustio's lifeline, a highly strategic place. Why would the Belkans have such few defenses?" Pixy asked.

"Simple. They outran their own supply lines." Nikita said.

"What about those houses?" Cipher asked, dodging AAA fire.

"Full of supplies. Be careful." Pixy said.

"I'm on it." Nikita said, as he raced towards the houses. Lining the HUD, he pulled the trigger, and 23 rockets screamed from his Fulcrum and slammed into the houses. Explosions occurred, showing that they were supplying Belkan arms.

Cipher followed up with FAEB's, and finished the rest. A good sized group of Belkan Phantom's appeared, around 10 of them.

"Looks like the cavalry's here." Pixy said, firing two sparrow missiles, and taking down two Phantoms.

Nikita followed an F-4, and he dove towards the deck. Nikita closed in for a gun kill and pulled the trigger. 30mm bullets ripped the tail off the phantom. The pilots ejected, leaving their crippled bird to crash… into a row of Belkan tanks. It caused a bit of damage.

Cipher quickly took care of the remaining Phantoms, and flew top cover as his wingman continued strafing and bombing the enemy forces at will.

"Our first defense unit is down. All units, engage the allied forces!" the Belkan commander ordered.

"What? The first line is down? How many are attacking us?" another asked.

"We're proceeding as planned. Eliminate the enemy forces." Eagle Eye said.

"If reinforcements show up, we're screwed." Pixy said, as two Mirage 2000D's fired missiles at the mercs.

A MiG-21 appeared and fought with Cipher, only to get shot down.

"That was quick." Nikita said, as SAM's open fired. Nikita dumped chaffs and flares to confuse the missiles. He circled around, and fired his 20mm gun pod, killing the Belkan crews.

"Looks like the Belkans are gathering for a last stand. Lets give them a warm welcome." Pixy said.

Indeed, the Belkans gathered the rest into one spot. AA weapons were pointed at the three pilots.

"They're coming straight for us!" A Belkan yelled in horror.

"Shut up and fight! They won't get past us!" his buddy said back.

Nikita and Cipher flew on opposite sides of the road, and fired everything left at the Belkans. Buildings exploded, tanks destroyed, many killed.

A line of Belkan tanks attempted to break thru.

"Captain, we're entering the battle zone." A young and obviously frightened soldier exclaimed.

"I didn't come all this way to get shot. Hold tight, we'll cut right through." The seasoned vet assured.

However, with no AA weapons and air support left, it was only a matter of time. Nikita fired the last of his rockets at the Belkan tanks, and destroyed them.

"Operation complete. Route 171 is in our hands. Now the allied forces can secure a military transport rout. Well done, Galm team." Eagle Eye said.

The three fighters lined up in formation, heading back to Valais.

"Looks like luck was on your side again today, Solo Wing." Eagle Eye added.

"Yeah, well I've had my fill of going home without wings." Pixy said.

Nikita was intrigued. What was all that about?


	4. Chapter 4 the round table

Ch 4 the round table

"Hey Pixy, what did you mean by having your fill of wings shot off?" Nikita asked.

"It's simple. Couple years back, I was in a nasty fight. I took a missile to the right wing, which tore it right off. Lucky that it didn't blow me to pieces. I managed to fly the eagle back to base, though I will tell you. It was pure hell. It took everything I had to stay afloat. I sure as hell don't want to go thru that again." Larry said.

"I hear you. Glad you made it in one piece." Nikita said.

Brian came in, with some other soldiers, lounging about in the room.

"I got some news. The Osean's are sending the 3rd naval fleet." Brian said.

"What?" Nikita asked.

"That's right. They're finally helping us in this godforsaken war." Brian said.

Nikita leaned back in the couch, and scowled. As much as he hated the Osean's, they needed their help. Problem was that the Osean's were arrogant. Walking around like they owned the place. Bullshit. Yuktobania and Belka were rival powers. Osea liked to pretend they were something, but they had stiff competition. And besides, the Yuktobanian's and Belkan's have been supplying weapons and arms to Estovakia, as part of a treaty. As far as Nikita knew, Osea didn't do such a thing. They were giving some stuff to the Erusean continent, but that was all.

"Okay. But if those cocky assholes play bullshit with us, I'll teach them a lesson. We stopped the Belkan advance dead when it was about to overtake us. Osea didn't." Nikita said.

"I agree." Larry said.

The three pilots were called into special briefing with Armstrong.

"Any idea what it is?" Nikita asked.

"Nope. This is the second time the three of us have been in a meeting." Brian said.

"I got news for you." Armstrong said.

"Lay it on us." Nikita said.

"Armed recon. You three are to patrol airspace B7R, which is under Belkan control. Expect heavy resistance by enemy squadrons. There's also a magnetic field in the area, which may interfere with communications, depending on how strong the field is. This won't be a walk in the park." Armstrong said.

"No shit." Larry said.

"The B7R area is located above an area rich in subterranean resources, where many conflicts, including the current one, have been fought. You're authorized to engage enemy planes upon contact. Time has come for your skills to be tested." Armstrong said.

"How come it's just the three of us?" Nikita asked.

"This is a black ops mission. Belka can't know that we're planning an offensive. If we were to send the whole base, Belka would be quick to send reinforcements, and crush us before we have a chance." Armstrong said.

The trio headed towards their fighters, armed for air-to-air combat. No-one spoke. The atmosphere was tense, to say the least. It was just the three of them, against the legendary Belkan air-force. And the Belkans put the best pilots on the round table. It was a source of Belkan pride, showing their national and military strength. And they had the history and balls to prove it.

2 hours later, they arrived.

"Galm team, this is Eagle Eye. Penetrate B7R and get a feel for the surroundings."

"Sand, sand, even more fucking sand." Nikita said.

"This job is what we're all about." Pixy said.

Extending their radar screens to the maximum, the pilots saw enemy fighters. Lots of enemy fighters.

"Damn it." Pixy said, knowing how hard the odds were.

The Belkans also took notice of the intruding mercs. They looked at the IFF, wondering why only three enemy contacts showed. Shouldn't there be more? Or was it stray aircraft?

"We will survive, Galm team!" Pixy said, arming his weapons.

Nikita plugged in a cassette player to his radio, and played _Stand my ground_ by _Within Temptation._

"What's this for?" Cipher asked

"It's psychological warfare. You got good taste in music." Pixy said.

Nikita didn't answer, because he was being chased by an F-5 tiger2. He barrel rolled his MiG, and turned the tables. He quickly gunned him down with his 30mm cannons.

Cipher climbed as fast as his jet could provide, and let the jet fall towards the earth. The Belkan chasing him overshot. Pixy blew the Belkan to pieces, covering his wingman.

Nikita noticed two MiG 21s flying under their radar, trying to suprirse them. Nikita fired two R-27 missiles, and blew the MiGs out of the sky.

"Galm team, enter B7R airspace." Eagle Eye said.

As the three penetrated deeper into enemy air-space, Eagle Eye gave them a warning.

"Contact. Aircraft coming in at high speed."

"Galm 2 to Galm team. Probably the main force. Get ready!" Pixy said.

5 Typhoons appeared, eager for blood.

"Rot 1 to all aircraft. Time to hunt some wild dogs!" Rot 1 ordered.

"Galm team. We cannot authorize a retreat. Intercept them." Eagle Eye ordered.

"I figured you'd say that. This is gonna cost you extra." Pixy complained.

"Mercenary dogs." Rot 1 said, eyeing the three enemy fighters.

"This is the round table. Dead man's words have no meaning." Pixy said.

Galm team dove into the pack of Typhoons, breaking them up. Nikita chased one, and fired his last missile. The Typhoon was unable to break away from the highly maneuverable missiles, and was destroyed.

Nikita looked, and saw another Typhoon chasing after him, guns blazing. Nikita dove towards the deck, still being chased.

"I need some help over here!" Nikita yelled.

"Fox 1." Cipher said, firing a sidewinder, blowing the left wing off the Typhoon.

"I owe you, Cipher." Nikita said.

"Buy me some drinks when we get back." Cipher said.

"You got it." Nikita said.

"Guys, they're known for their long range attacks. Stay close to them." Pixy said, out maneuvering a Typhoon, and shooting down one that just happened to fly into his crosshairs.

Meanwhile, Rot 1 continued to vent towards the mercs.

"Money hungry dogs, without a sense of honor." He growled, chasing Pixy. Nikita came to Pixy's rescue, firing his 30mm gun at Rot 1, piercing the engines.

"Damn it. I've been beaten." Rot 1 growled, as he was forced to eject from his burning aircraft.

"Shit, I'm out of ammo. No missiles, bullets, nothing." Nikita said.

"Head back to base. We'll take care of the last one." Cipher said.

"Copy that." Nikita said.

Nikita flew to the edge of the round table, and watched the ensuing fight.

"Am I the only one left? Requesting backup!" the lone Rot member said, who then attempted to flee from the two mercs.

"Those guys are history. Galm one, lets wrap things up here." Pixy said.

Cipher easily destroyed the last Typhoon, clearing the airspace of the Belkan fighters.

"All Belkan reinforcements are down. Mission complete. Return to base." Eagle Eye said.

The three fighter pilots formed up and headed towards Valais air-base.

"I can't believe it. We survived." Pixy said.

"More than that. We took down Typhoon fighter jets. That's something, considering the plane's we're in." Nikita said.

"Incoming message from allied forces operations command. 'Allied naval forces have begun their advance. We appreciate your work.'" Eagle Eye said.

"What?" Nikita asked.

"Looks like we were just decoys." Pixy said.

Nikita turned off his radio. He was furious. Command sent him and his wingman into the jaws of hell, against the Belkan air-force by themselves, and it was just to distract the Belkans. He and his wingmen were expandable. Command didn't care about them.

"Eagle Eye, who's naval force is advancing?" Nikita asked.

"The Osean 3rd fleet." Eagle Eye said.

"Oh. I get it. Those cock-sucking Oseans pretend to be a strong country, ready to fight. But when it hits the fan, they send others to get slaughtered before they join the fray. I should have known. All talk, and no testicles to back it up." Nikita growled.

"Nikita, Cipher. Ya'll still alive?" Pixy asked.

The three fighters landed at the base. Nikita went to the command center, and searched for General Armstrong's office. He stood outside the door, and sat in a nearby chair. He couldn't come in all angry like this.

But it was shocking. All his time in the military, he was told that the government valued the lives of the soldiers. But it was a lie. They didn't. Now, the Osean's would come in, and steal the glory, claiming that they were the ones who would end the war. While Nikita knew they needed the military and economic power of Osea to help, he couldn't help but feel that he and his comrades would be tossed aside after the war was over, despite their sacrifices.

Inside the General's office, Oliver Mira Armstrong (yes, the one from FMA: B) looked over the reports. Osea's 3rd fleet was moving up the Futuro canal, to attack the Belkans from the south. She tore the paper up in anger. How dare the Osean's use her soldiers as bait! It just proved that the Oseans had no balls when it came to fighting.

She looked at another set of papers, this time detailing another group of mercenaries coming in. Some were from Estovakia, Emmeria, and other countries. One was from Osea. Patrick James Beckett.

"Patrick. You'll be assigned to Nikita." She muttered to herself. She heard knocking on the door.

"Come in." She said.

Nikita walked through the door and saluted Oliver Armstrong. He heard of her reputation. She was called 'the ice queen.'

"Sit down, Nikita." Oliver said.

"Permission to speak freely." Nikita said.

"Granted." Oliver said.

"Is command out of their goddamned mind!? Using us as bait, so they can get the first shot at ending the war. Where the fuck was Osea when Belkan bombers were about to crater this base?" Nikita asked.

"I don't like it any more than you do. But understand this. Ustio is no longer capable of fighting Belka by herself. We've no military whatsoever. The few mercenaries at this base are all that's left of the Ustio air-force. We need Osea to help win the war. I'm not asking you to like them, giving the history between Yuktobania and Osea, but you will need to work with them. Understood?" Oliver asked.

"Understood, sir." Nikita said.

"Good. A few more mercs are coming in today. You'll be paired with Patrick Beckett. His call-sign is PJ. Don't know why. Just go with the flow." Oliver said.

"What nation is he from? Countries have different training programs for their own military." Nikita said.

Oliver stood up and pointed a desert eagle at Nikita.

"Just calm down. He's Osean." Oliver said.

Nikita clenched his fists in return of the news. Osean? He's rather fly solo, or with the Belkans. As much as the Oseans bragged at how good their training was, it wasn't that good compared to Belka. Then again, the cold war was mainly between Osea and Yuktobania, not between Osea and Belka.

"Permission to have a duel with him when he arrives." Nikita said.

"Denied. But you and him need to be in the office. I'll explain further. That's all." Oliver said.

Nikita saluted the ice queen, and she saluted back.

The roar of jet engines was heard, at Nikita saw a flight of F-16s, followed by F-18s.

"This should be good." He muttered.


	5. Chapter 5 breaking in the new kid

Ch 5 breaking in the new kid

Nikita headed towards the group of new-comers. Fresh meat. He found PJ and waited for him. He watched as PJ shut down his fighter. PJ climbed out of his jet. Nikita saluted PJ when PJ faced him.

PJ saluted back.

"I'm Nikita Bordin. General Armstrong has ordered me and you to meet with her." Nikita said.

"Lead the way. I'm Patrick Beckett. Pilots call me PJ."

"Follow me." Nikita said. He pulled out his CZ75 handgun, and chambered a round.

"Base personal aren't supposed to carry guns around with them. Only security guards." PJ said.

"Kid, drop the bullshit. We're at war with Belka. You'll find out real soon." Nikita spat.

The two pilots entered General Armstrong's office.

"Nikita and PJ reporting as ordered, sir." Nikita said, saluting Oliver.

"At ease." Oliver said.

"Patrick, your papers." Oliver said.

Oliver checked the passport and some other documents. Satisfied, she handed the passport back.

"I have an assignment, PJ. You're to fly CAP with Nikita." Oliver said.

"CAP? That's a mistake. We're supposed to be attacking the Belkans. Not playing defensive." PJ said.

Oliver stood up and slammed her hands on the desk, an angry glare at her eyes.

"Listen up PJ! Pussy Osea wants you to believe that Belka is hurting. They're not. They can still bomb this base to the stone age, and take Ustio by force. We barely have enough to fly CAP, let alone bomb Belka. They took down our air-force in a millisecond. Right now, all planes assigned to this base are the remains of the Ustio air-force. So get your Viper ready for a CAP, and be prepared for the Belkans." Oliver said.

"Understood. One more question, ma'am." PJ said.

"It's sir. What is it?" Oliver asked, already annoyed with PJ.

"Nikita has a sidearm on his personal. Base personal aren't supposed to be armed." PJ said.

"Nikita, hand it over." Oliver said.

Nikita took the CZ75 and handed it to Armstrong. She took the magazine out, emptied the chamber, and put it in a drawer. She then pulled out a big Python revolver and handed that, plus ammo to Nikita.

"You'll need that." Oliver said.

"Thank you, sir." Nikita said, putting the pistol in the holster.

"Dismissed." Oliver said.

Nikita saluted Oliver and left the room.

"Sir, you can't do this." PJ protested.

"I'm your commanding officer. And let me tell you something. Fact. We are outnumbered and outgunned by the Belkan military. Fact. I value my soldier's lives very highly, unlike commanders from Osea and other countries. Fact. If Belka ops to drop parachute soldiers on this base, using stealth bombers, the only chance we have of stopping that, is if everyone is armed. There's a motto on this base. Survival of the fittest. And so far PJ, you've given me no reason to think you'll follow it. Given the choice, I'd rather be stuck with one Belkan and one Yuktobanian pilot on this base, than a thousand PJ's. Dismissed." Oliver coldly said.

PJ climbed into his F-16 Viper, and waited for Nikita. He showed in his MiG-29, armed to the teeth of missiles.

The two pilots took off, each having their own thoughts.

"Man, she's hardcore." PJ said.

"Other than the pilots, she's the reason this base is still alive. She maintains constant discipline. She'd do well in Yuktobania." Nikita said.

"Maybe Osea." PJ said.

Nikita rolled his eyes.

"Nikita, I know both our countries have been at each other's throats. I don't want that to happen here. Okay?" PJ asked.

"Sure thing. But let me give you some advice, rook. Any bright ideals you have, is complete bullshit. I just came back from the round table. Me, Cipher, and Pixy were ordered into that hell to distract the Belkans long enough, for the Osean third fleet to get into position for an attack." Nikita said.

"So you can understand why I resent flying with an Osean. But I've been ordered to, so I'll follow it. Doesn't mean we'll be friends." Nikita said.

The two stayed silent for a few minutes. PJ then spoke again.

"General Armstrong is hot." PJ said.

"Whaaat?" Nikita asked.

"Yeah. She is." PJ said.

"PJ, go to a secure line. We'll talk in private." Nikita said.

Flipping some switches, the two were on a secured line.

"I'll admit, she's hot. And she's a badass. Just my type. Doesn't mean I'll pursue her. Besides, we could die tomorrow. Rather not get bogged down in shit like that." Nikita said.

The radar chirped, as a lone bandit was flying in from behind, really fast.

"He's coming in fast! Nikita, you see him?" PJ asked, turning behind him.

"I see him. F-18C, with Estovakian markings?" Nikita asked, confused.

"Your secure channel, isn't that secure." Armstrong said, flying the F-18C.

"Armstrong. Pleasure to see you." PJ said, now sweating bullets.

"Anyway. I heard your conversation. Now PJ, you said something about me being attractive. What was it?" She asked, smirking.

"Uh, nothing. It was nothing." PJ said.

"No, tell me. I'm interested." She said, clearly enjoying seeing PJ squirm in his cockpit. "Nikita, you said you wouldn't pursue me. Why's that?"

"Radar contact!" Nikita said, flying in formation with the two of them.

"What?" Olivier asked, confused.

"Two Belkan Mi-24 choppers, with 3 MiG-23 escorts." Nikita said.

"Lets take them out." Olivier said.

The three fighters hit the deck and raced against the mountain background. Nikita's head-set growled as the radar locked onto the choppers.

"Fox 3." Nikita said, pulling the trigger. 2 R-27 missiles headed towards the attack choppers and destroyed them.

"PJ, you see the Floggers?" Olivier asked.

"I see them. Fox 3." PJ said, firing a sparrow missile. The missile hit one of the Floggers, destroying it.

The other two Floggers ascended to a higher altitude, trying to escape.

"I'll take care of them." Armstrong said, chasing after them.

Olivier chased after the MiG-23, when one of them broke away. Not taking the bait, she fired her 20mm cannon into the tail end of the Flogger, blowing it to pieces.

"Fox 1, Fox 1." PJ said over the radio. Oliver looked down, and saw PJ chasing the last Flogger, but this pilot was good. He evaded the missiles and gunfire, and slammed on the brakes, causing PJ to overshoot.

The Belkan then fired his guns, and shot up PJ's Viper real good.

"I'm hit! I can't control her." PJ shouted over the alarms. Looking at the console, he pulled on the ejection handle and was launched from his fighter. PJ watched, as his Viper crashed into the ground, blowing up.

"Damn it." Olivier muttered. She chased after the Belkan jet, and fired a sparrow missile, ending the fighter, for good.

"Valais base, this is Armstrong. I've got a pilot down. Repeat, I've got a pilot down. Send the SAR bird. We'll provide cover."

"Copy that, General. SAR bird is heading your way."

"PJ, can you hear me?" Olivier asked.

"I hear you." PJ said.

"Listen carefully. This is why I have my fighters on CAP only. We can't afford to lose planes in futile attacks against Belka." Olivier said.

"Yes sir." PJ said.

"See you at base." Olivier said.

Nikita stayed overhead, until his fuel ran low, than he was force to head back to base. But one thing went thru his mind. Where did Armstrong fly like that?

Nikita went thru the bathrooms, hoping to find Armstrong. Okay, that was a little weird, but he needed to talk to her.

"Olivier?" Nikita asked.

"In here." She said.

Nikita walked thru the steam residue, aftermath of a hot shower.

"I have a question. Where'd you learn to fly like that?" Nikita asked.

"I was a combat pilot years back. I flew for the Belkan air-force. Once Ustio was born, I moved there, somewhat." Olivier said.

"Somewhat?" Nikita asked.

"I was stationed in the far southeast of Belka, which became Ustio. I was one of the many officers who started the Ustio military. I worked for the air-force. Of course, when the Belkan invaded, it all went to hell. I have family and an estate in Directus. Those bastards." Olivier said.

"Well, we're gonna kick the Belkans out of Ustio. It'll happen." Nikita said.

"Damn straight. Well, we gotta get a new plane for PJ. Kid needs to know how to dogfight." These are Belkans, not Yukes." Olivier said.


	6. Chapter 6 offensive campaign 4101

Ch 6 Offensive Campaign 4101

Nikita sat down in a chair reading some books. Other pilots were resting, or outside playing a game of football.

"Never figured you to be a bookworm." PJ said.

"I am. Keeps my mind sharp. And it calms me down." Nikita said.

"What are you reading?" PJ asked.

"Some story about the Demons of Razgriz. Here's the gist. When history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself; first as a dark demon. As a demon, it uses its power to rain death upon the land, and then it dies. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns as a hero." Nikita said.

"I've read of it. The Northern Sea is supposed to be the birth place of the Razgriaz." Patrick said.

"What weapons is Belka making, I wonder." Nikita muttered to himself.

"What?" Patrick asked.

"Yuktobania has been making advanced weapons, or so we're told. During the Cold War, Yuktobania got wind that Belka is making highly advanced weaponry. However, we only got fragments, so it may not be true at all. But we're at war with the bastards. I'd like to know what they're up against." Nikita said.

"We'll figure it out. Anyway, Olivier wants all pilots in the briefing room." Patrick said.

Nikita entered the room, seeing Olivier going over some reports.

"So what's the mission?" Nikita asked.

"You'll know soon. I can tell you this. It'll be hell. Trust me." Olivier said.

"We're going into Belkan territory. Of course it'll be hell." Nikita said.

The pilots gathered in the briefing room, where Olivier told the pilots of the mission, pointing at a large and detailed map of the Futuro Canal.

"The Ustio, and Osean forces are to launch a joint campaign. The forces will be called the allied forces. This campaign is 'Offensive Campaign 4101'. The objective, is to secure a sea transit for the allied forces. The Belkans occupying the Futuro Canal must be cleared out for this mission to be successful. There are three missions in this op."

"First is Operation Glenikos. This is an air-to-air/surface mission, whose objective is to wipe out Belka's air squadrons, port facilities, and defenses."

"Next is Operation Round-hammer. This is an air-to-surface operation, whose objective is to crush the Belkan naval forces and defenses at the end of the canal."

"The last is Operation Costner. This is an escort mission, whose objective is to protect the naval vessels in the Osea's 3rd fleet, including its state of the art aircraft carrier, Kestrel which will be making a trial voyage."

That last op got many pilot's attention. Who wouldn't want to look at the Osean's newest toy?

"Fierce resistance is to be expected by the Belkans in all three missions. Choose carefully what mission, and what plane you choose. Good hunting, and god-speed." Olivier said.

As the pilots left, Olivier called PJ and Nikita aside.

"Your squadron will be Alchemy team. That's all." Olivier said.

"Nikita, what mission are you taking?" PJ asked.

"Costner. The Belkans won't waste time throwing everything to destroy Osea's carrier. Besides, my Fulcrum is for air-to-air." Nikita said.

"Guess I'll tag along." PJ said.

"Just remember. The two of us are together. I'm counting on you, and you're counting on me." Nikita said.

"Don't worry. I got your back." PJ said, putting a hand on Nikita's shoulder.

Nikita wasn't convinced, and slammed PJ against a wall, drawing attention of several individuals, including General Armstrong.

"I mean it Patrick! If something goes wrong out there, I'll need you to help me out of a shit storm. What's worse, if the Belkans sink the carrier, they can launch a counter-attack, and wipe Ustio off the map of the world! You reading me?" Nikita shouted.

"Yes sir. I read you." PJ said, slightly terrified of the Yuktobanian pilot.

"Good." Nikita said.

Nikita dropped PJ on his ass, and headed towards his Fulcrum. PJ got up and headed towards the hangers as well, nervous.

Olivier only smiled, though no-one was watching. She knew PJ had a lot to learn, and placing him with Nikita, was the right move.

"Survival of the fittest." She muttered.

Futuro Canal, Sapin

"That's one hell of a carrier." Nikita said, flying over the Kestrel. The operation was going as planned, with the Belkans at the north part of the canal all but destroyed.

"Alchemy team, protect the fleet as it passes thru the Canal." Eagle Eye ordered.

"Roger that. PJ, lets move." Nikita said.

Nikita overshot 3 F1's carrying anti-ship missiles. He turned around, and fired 3 of his missiles. Two F1's were shot down, but the third got away, only to run into a sparrow fired by PJ.

"Splash one. We're just getting started." PJ said.

"Yeah. We are." Nikita darkly said.

"Kestrel, if you have any fighters in the air, get them over here, now. We've got a dozen or so enemy fighters heading towards us." Nikita said.

"Copy that. All planes, come on home. I repeat, all planes, come on home." Captain Weeker said, to the Osean planes on patrol. "And get those damn AA weapons ready. We got Belkans coming right towards us."

"We'll take care of them." PJ said, as he and two more mercs headed towards a group of F1s and F-16 escorts.

"Fox 3, fox 3." PJ said, firing his long range sparrows. The other mercs followed suit, but only half the missiles hit their mark.

"Damn it. We just wasted half our ordinance." An Ustio pilot said.

Nikita circled around the fray, and gunned down an F-16, followed by an F1.

"Those Ustio's know how to fight." An Osean pilot said, in awe of the mercs ability.

"Yeah, they got some good pilots." Another said, begrudgingly.

"Hey asshole. We were fighting the Belkan air-force way before you showed up. If this is your first combat run, I'm surprised you're still alive. Oh, wait. You're playing chicken over your own carrier, while everyone else is taking on the Belkan's." Nikita retorted.

That remark humbled some of the Osean pilots, and they broke off and joined the fray.

"More reinforcements. They got some advanced planes out there." Eagle Eye warned, seeing the wings of Futuro on his radar.

2 Su-27s, 2 Mirage 2000Ds, and 2 F-5s joined the fray. They fired their missiles at the Osean fleet. While the CIWS destroyed some of the missiles, the rest broke thru, and Osean destroyer was put out of action.

"All planes, we're under serious fire. Request immediate support." Captain Weeker said.

"Nikita, lets care of those Belkans." PJ said, as he chased the two Mirages.

"Schakal 1, break!"

"Shit!" Schakal one yelled, as PJ demolished his Mirage with a good burst of gunfire.

Nikita locked onto a Su-27, and fired a missile. The missile tore into the Flanker's left engine and detonated, destroying the Belkan.

"Postler 1 is down. Those damn Oseans." Postler 2 growled.

Postler two attempted a strafing run on the Kestrel, but was shot down by the AA network of the Kestrel.

"How many planes are left?" Gabel 2 asked, as he dodged gunfire from an Osean F-18. He too was quickly shot down.

"Schakal 2, form up with me. We'll kamikaze the carrier." Gabel one said.

"Copy that."

The Tiger 2 and the Mirage 2000D zoomed past the defending fighters and made a kamikaze run towards the Kestrel.

"They're heading towards us!" an ensign yelled, pointing towards the two Belkan fighters.

The Tiger 2 got hit by AA fire and crashed into the desert, destroying itself, and the pilot. The Mirage, was luckier. He managed to hit the right side of the carrier, causing some good hull damage. The remains of the fighter bounced into an escorting cruiser, heavily damaging it.

"No enemy planes on radar. Good work." Eagle Eye said, though it was a pyrrhic victory at best.

"This is the Kestrel. We suffered damage, but we can still fight. Our thanks to the gentlemen providing air support." Captain Weeker said.

The remaining fighters, led by Alchemy team flew over the Osean fleet, in a form of saluting their comrades.

Valais air-base, Ustio

The pilots came back, on a high after the victory.

"Yeah, we did it!"

"We took the canal!"

Nikita parked his plane, and entered the cafeteria, desperately hungry.

"Our hero's return." Larry said, shaking Nikita's hand.

"Barely. A Mirage pulled a kamikaze run on the fleet. We almost lost the carrier and a cruiser." Nikita said.

"But they're still alive and fighting." Olivier said. When she spoke, the room went silent.

"Remember this, Nikita. The dead are dead. But we fight to keep them alive." Olivier said.

"What about honoring those who died?" PJ asked.

"There is no point to clinging those who've died. Your job is to fight to keep more from dying. But don't be deluded. It will never bring peace, because somewhere, someone, is dying. Whether from disease, natural causes, or man-made methods." Olivier said.

Nikita agreed with her. While nihilistic, it did make sense. The dead were dead. No point in hanging on to them. Just keep moving.

"Hey Nikita, we need to talk." Olivier said, sitting next to him, eating a stake.

"Sure thing, General." Nikita said.

"We're gonna be taking back the capital. I'll be flying with you and PJ." Olivier said.

"You wanna take that risk?" Nikita asked, concerned.

"You guys take that risk 24/7. I was a pilot in the past." Olivier said.

Nikita saw thru her façade.

"I know why it's important. You have family in the capital, and you want to see them." Nikita said.

"It's been years since I saw them." Olivier said, drinking some coffee.

"Okay. You can join the fight." Nikita said. Then smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Olivier asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's gonna be awesome. Flying with the 'ice queen.' This will be something to remember." Nikita said.

"It'll be nice to see them again."

"Tell me about them."

"Well, my brother…"


	7. Chapter 7 flicker of hope

Ch 7 Flicker of Hope

Once again, the pilots gathered in the briefing room. The spirits were high, and everyone was in a good mood. Sapin, Fato, and Osea were liberated from the Belkan hegemony, leaving Ustio left.

"The mountain town of Solis Ortus is located just outside Ustio's capital, Directus. The allied forces will deploy airborne troops, comprised mainly of Osea's 101st airborne troops, over Solis Ortus in a surprise attack on the Belkan forces. If we want to take back Ustio, this operation must succeed. Your mission is to provide air support to the allied forces." Olivier said.

"Destroy Belka's anti-air weaponry, and interceptors that will show up. Just a reminder. There are civilians still in Solis Ortus. Their fate will depend on your actions. Good luck." Olivier said.

Solis Ortus

Nikita and PJ flew top cover, as Cipher and Pixy bombed the AA guns to rubble, clearing the path for the Osean paratroopers.

"Those paratroopers must have balls to do something like this." PJ said.

"I agree. They're brave soldiers. I hope they make out of this alive." Nikita said.

"We got enemy fighters. Their…" PJ said, as the radar angrily bleeped, signaling a missile lock.

Nikita

"Break!" Nikita shouted, as he pulled up and dumped flares.

Nikita watched as the missiles took the false signatures, and missed him.

"Eagle Eye, what was that?" PJ asked.

"MiG-31 Foxhounds. Be careful." Eagle Eye said.

Nikita spotted them, and closed the distance. Getting a lock, he fired his R-27. The missile flew right into the air-intake of the Foxhound, and vaporized it.

"Splash one." Nikita muttered, as his wingman dove on top of him, guns blazing.

"Shit!" Nikita shouted, barrel rolling the fighter. The MiG overshot, and PJ chased after him, shooting him down.

Nikita and PJ continued to engage the Belkan fighters, with help from Cipher and Pixy.

"Thought ya'll would need some help." Cipher said.

"Thanks for it. These Falcons and tiger sharks are getting on my nerves." Nikita said.

"How's the rest of the operation going?" PJ asked.

"Listen to it yourself." Pixy said, turning to a freq.

"Meet up with company 4 in sector F-4. You have a map?"

"Fighting has increased in sector F-7. Send some back up."

"You'll never find a group of soldiers with more pride than them." Pixy said.

"We got enemy ground attack fighters on an intercept course. Intercept." Eagle Eye said.

The 4 mercs quickly dove to the earth and scanned the horizon, looking for the enemy birds.

"I see them. Belkan Su-25s and A-10s." PJ said.

"Cipher, time to take out the trash." Pixy said.

Nikita quickly lined up on a Su-25, and fired an R-73 and a second later, the Su-25 has its back end blown off, sending it to the earth.

"Fox 3, Fox 3." Pixy said, firing his remaining XMAA missiles, taking down 3 more A-10s.

"Where the hell is our reinforcement's? The Osean's are beating us." A Belkan commander said.

"They've been wiped out. This whole area is about to collapse." His subordinate reported.

"This operation is going as planned. Shoot down the remaining enemy fighters, and wrap this up." Eagle Eye said.

"Eagle Eye, where are the enemy fighters? I'm not seeing any." Nikita said.

"Ammo has been secured. Moving to initiate operation." An Osean soldier said.

"Eagle Eye, what enemy fighters?" Nikita asked, growing impatient.

"We're under attack here!" an Osean yelled.

"Repeat. Who's attacking you?" Eagle Eye asked.

"We're under attack by enemy stealth fighters and attack choppers. Request immediate support!" the Osean shouted.

"Galm and Alchemy team, take care of the enemy forces. I'll send you the coordinates on your HUD." Eagle Eye said.

"Copy that. Looks like Belka had some stealth aircraft on the front lines." Pixy said.

"Why didn't they use them until now?" PJ asked.

"Who cares? Just shoot them down." Nikita said. Also, he got in the freq. of Valais air-base, giving Olivier a picture of the on-going battle.

Valais air-base.

Olivier was listening into the current battle over Solis Ortus.

"Stealth fighters?" she muttered, hearing that part.

She could only think one thing. What if the Belkans used them to attack her base? It could prolong the liberation of Ustio.

Solis Ortus

Nikita chased an F-117 nighthawk. Since his radar was useless against stealth, he used the IRST on his fighter, and guided the 30mm nose cannon to gain an accurate shot.

He pulled the trigger, sending 30mm rounds of death into the stealth fighter, bringing it down.

"Their goes one stealth. Galm team, how's it going on your end?" Nikita asked.

"Like a turkey shoot. These nighthawk's can't do shit against us." Cipher said, firing a missile into the engine port of one.

"Only a moron would send stealth fighters into battle with no escorts, let alone without getting air-superiority." Pixy said.

"Lets get this over with." Nikita said.

The 4 pilots quickly gunned down the remaining Belkan aircraft, chopper or plane. They landed at Valais, celebrating their victory.

"We did it!" PJ yelled at joy.

"Yeah. We did it." Nikita said.

"Nikita, you should cheer up, we're now winning the war." Brian said.

"Belka still has ballistic missiles and ICBMs. They could kill us all with the flip of a switch." Nikita warned.

Olivier pulled Nikita aside, drawing his attention.

"People will talk about this." He joked.

"Not in the mood. I just got off the phone. Command says that the liberation of Directus, and Ustio for that matter, is tomorrow." Olivier said.

"What?" Nikita asked.

"That's right. I suggest we all get some rest." Olivier said.

"You flying with us tomorrow?" Nikita asked.

"Hell yeah. It's my hometown. Of course I'll participate. I can't wait to see the look on my brother's face, when I land my fighter at the Armstrong mansion, and show up to own the house." Olivier said, a malicious smile on her face.

Nikita felt his temperature rise. On one hand, he was wondering if his commanding officer was alright. On the other hand, he was slightly aroused. He left and took a long shower.

Truth to be told, he wanted to be present when Olivier confronted her family about the deed to the mansion. He remembered what Olivier told him.

 _Flashback_

 _Just after taking the Futuro Canal_

" _My brother…" Olivier said._

" _My brother served in the Belkan army. Louis Armstrong. What a failure. He served in the Rectan War. Or didn't, I should say." Olivier spat._

" _What do you mean?" Nikita asked._

" _After air-supremacy was established, the ground troops moved in. Doesn't take much to imagine what happened. Killing, murdering, pillaging, raping, etc. My brother broke down in tears, and was kicked off the frontlines. He left the army at the end of the war. Lived in eastern Belka, which turned into Ustio." Olivier said._

Yes, it would be interesting.


	8. Chapter 8 Diapason

Ch 8 Diapason

The pilots gathered in the ready room. Only yesterday, did they drop troops on Solis Ortus. Now, they were taking back the capital of Ustio. If it went successful, the war would be over.

"Alright, listen up. Today's the day we kick the fascist Belkans out of Ustio!" Olivier said.

"Fuck yeah!" a pilot in the back yelled.

Everyone smiled in response. Of course they were excited.

"Leave the celebrations for after the fight." Olivier said, with a mischievous smile on her face.

"I will now brief you on the Ustio's 6th air division's role in liberating the capital. Directus is split into 5 different administrative roles centering on the River Crescere."

"Powerful weapons have been placed in each ward, and have been bolstered by the survivors of Solis Ortus. This battle will determine our fate, as the annihilation of the enemy forces will mean liberation for the nation of Ustio. The enemy forces are comprised mainly of ground troops, but we've received word, although not confirmed, of a squadron of high-tech Belkan fighters."

"Your orders are to destroy the Belkan forces and liberate Directus. We can't afford to lose. To that end, I'm flying with you guys." Olivier said, shocking the pilots.

"You serious, general?" PJ asked.

"Yes, I am. I'll be flying with the alchemy squadron. Nikita, you're still in charge." Olivier said.

As the pilots headed to their fighters, Olivier grabbed some small arms from the armory. She took the Armstrong sword, and a MP5K submachine gun, along with the standard USP .45 handgun.

The mercenary pilots wasted no time in scrambling their fighters. And to add to that, the ice queen herself was flying and fighting with them.

"All forces, take down the Belkan forces." Eagle Eye said.

Nikita locked onto a SAM site, and fired a missile, destroying it.

"Belkan fighters, are incoming. Galm team, intercept." Olivier said, dripping cluster bombs on a group of Belkan tanks.

"Sector B is out of our hands. Ustio fighters are over our head." A Belkan said.

"They got MiG-29s and Typhoons." Pixy said, firing a QAAM missile and destroyed an enemy Fulcrum.

"We took down Typhoons before. These pilots aren't as good as the ones over B7R." Cipher said, chasing one of the Typhoons, and firing a missile up its tail pipe.

Spurred on by the victories that Ustio pilots were gaining, the citizens of Directus began to fight back.

"We've lost sector 1, and the citizens are rising up in the sectors 3, 4, and 5." A Belkan said.

"Ustio tanks and fighters are moving onto sector 2. We can't hold out." A Belkan said, panicking, before the radio cut out.

"Enough of his blabbering." Olivier said, having dropped bombs onto the Belkan's position.

"Cipher, looks like the citizens are rising up." Pixy said.

"Get the fuck out of our cities!" an Ustio man yelled, as he grabbed a Belkan FN2000 and sprayed it into the soldier's face, killing him. "Everyone, grab whatever weapons you can. This city is ours again!"

"General, we need orders. We're losing the city. General!" A Belkan yelled.

"Looks like someone's cowering out." Olivier smirked, comparing the Belkan's cowardice, with the Ustio's bravery and strength.

A Belkan CH-47 attempted to leave, only for Cipher to shoot him down.

"Splash one Belkan general." Cipher said.

"The Belkans are running! Now towards the other sector." A civilian shouted over the radio. A group of people broke into the church tower and started ringing the bell, a signal of freedom.

"Look at that." Olivier said, smiling at the people from her cockpit. She flew overhead the city, firing missiles and bullets at the Belkans she came across. The citizens cheered and waved at the Ustio pilots, as they flew overhead.

"That's the sound of freedom. Looks like this battle is almost over." PJ said.

"We've lost sector 3. What the hell is that ringing?" a Belkan asked.

The Belkans could only watch as the city seemed to rise with the Ustio and Osean armed forces, driving the Belkan army back and back, right into the fourth sector.

"That sound take me back." A pilot said, as he strafed a line of Belkan tanks, dropping napalm on them.

"Ustio mercenaries are doing as they please." A Belkan muttered, seeing the carnage unfold in front of him.

"The enemy is attacking without mercy!" a Belkan said, as storage tents and buildings were quickly destroyed, leaving the Belkans with little to fight with.

"Belkan ground forces in sector 4 have been eliminated. The people here are ringing their freedom bells!" An Osean soldier said.

The Belkans, on the other hand, were in complete confusion.

"We've no longer means of escape! Mass together all troops and regroup!"

"Belkans get out! Get the hell out of our city!" a civilian yelled in anger.

"What is that ringing? What idiot could be doing that?"

"This city is ours again! It belongs to Ustio!" a civilian yelled over the radio, engaged in a shootout with Belkan soldiers.

Olivier quickly tracked where the voice came from, and dropped 2 bombs onto the Belkan positions.

"Whoever you are, thanks!" the civilian said, saluting Olivier's F-18.

"This is Eagle Eye. Looks like all sectors have been liberated." Eagle Eye said, as the last of the Belkan fighters were destroyed, and the remains of the Belkan army either surrendered, or tried to escape.

"We've lost. The Belkan army… has been defeated." A Belkan said in surprise.

"This city has fallen to the allied forces. Any soldier's left, open up an escape route!"

"We got our city back!" a civilian yelled, raising a Belkan M16.

"Looks like they got a reason to fight. This battle's over." Pixy said, flying next to Cipher.

"All pilots, form up on me. Lets give Directus a celebration." Olivier said.

The Ustio mercs lined up behind Olivier and flew over the city, and the citizens and allied soldiers cheered in celebration.

"We did it!"

"Fuck yeah! We owned those Belkans!"

Suddenly, Eagle Eye gave disturbing news.

"Warning, warning. Enemy reinforcements approaching." Eagle Eye said.

"What? Now?" Pixy asked.

Gelb Team

"Two craft approaching at high speed." Eagle Eye said, as the two Su-37 terminators approached the allied forces.

"Lets take care of them." Pixy said.

"They're faster than anything we've come across. Eliminate the Belkan fighters and secure air supremacy." Eagle Eye said.

"It doesn't look like they'll let us head back to base, until we take out these two planes." Pixy said.

Pixy chased a Terminator and fired a missile, only for said missile to follow the flares dumped by the Su-37.

"Damn it." Pixy muttered.

The Su-37 pulled a Cobra and started chasing Pixy. Cipher chased the terminator, and took him down with a burst of 20mm gunfire.

"Gelb 1 down. Am I the only one left?" Gelb 2 wondered, as he dodged missiles and gunfire.

"Fox 3." PJ said, firing a sparrow. The missile hit the cockpit of the Terminator, destroying it completely.

"It's over. It's over." Cipher said, exhausted from the ordeal.

"We've taken back this sector. Belka is no longer in control!" a civilian said.

"If those Belkans leave, I can open my shop. And I'll make sure Directus is filled to the brim with flowers." A female civilian said, over the shouting and cheering of the city.

"Cipher, you hear those people cheering? That's where we come in." Larry said, as he, Cipher, and the rest of the Ustio pilots flew over the city one more time.

"Directus is free of any threats now. Lets head back to base." Pixy said.

"You guys head back to base. I got some loose ends to tie up in the city." Olivier said.

"What kind?" PJ asked.

"Family matters. Nikita, you're with me." Olivier said.


	9. Chapter 9 family matters

Ch 9 family matters

Nikita checked the weapons he brought with him. Only python revolver, and a G-18 automatic pistol.

"There'll be plenty of guns lying around." He muttered.

The citizens saw the two Ustio fighters land on a long stretch of road, leading towards the Armstrong mansion, on the outskirts of the city. Nikita was impressed. It was massive, and had a large water fountain in the front yard.

"This is the Armstrong mansion." He said.

"Yes. Passed down the family line for generations now." Olivier said, shutting down the Hornet. Nikita did the same with his Fulcrum.

The two pilots came headed towards the house, brandishing weapons. While Olivier had a pistol and submachine gun, Nikita only two handguns.

Nikita saw a dead Belkan, and checked him over. He found an older PSG1 sniper rifle, and several clips of ammo.

"I'm keeping this." He said, taking the rifle.

The two soldiers entered the house, weapons raised, ready for anything.

"This is a big house. It'll take some time to clear it all." Olivier said.

They moved thru the mansion until they entered a dining room. Olivier closed the curtains, not wanting to attract any snipers or artillery fire.

"Who's there?" a man asked.

"Thunder!" Nikita shouted, raising his rifle. "Thunder, or I will fire on you!"

"Hold on, I'm just a civilian. I'm not a soldier. I retired years ago." The man said.

"It's okay, father. You can come out." Olivier said, sitting at the table. Nikita sat down as well, leaning the rifle on the table.

A short, stocky man came in, with an abnormally curly beard. He sat at the head of the table, opposing Olivier.

"Olivier. Nice to see you again, and thanks for liberating the city from the Belkans." Philip Armstrong said.

"You're welcome. I suggest you retire." Olivier bluntly said.

"What? You save our lives, and that's all you have to say?" Philip asked. Nikita looked at Olivier, confused.

Then it hit him. No-one in their right mind would do such a thing, unless they knew that something horrible was going to happen. Did Olivier know something about the Belkan's next move? What weapons they might use?

"Who's this young man?" Philip asked, looking at Nikita.

"I'm 1st Lt Nikita Bordin, of the Yuktobanian air-force." Nikita said.

"Ah. I've served in the military as well. Been in plenty of combat, if do say so myself. In fact, I remember…" Philip started.

"Father, enough. I'm taking over the Armstrong mansion. Name me head of the family, and you can spend the rest of your life in peace. However, only the Anean and Usean continents are safe spots right now. Everything else is involved in the war against Belka." Olivier said.

"I planned to have Alex run the house." Philip said.

"Alex. That spineless excuse of a man. He didn't do shit in the Rectan War. Me, I lead an air-force base using obsolete fighters against the Belkan air-force. And here I am." Olivier said.

A door was knocked on, causing Nikita to spring. He kicked a chair down, crouched behind it, and pointed his G-18 at the door. The door opened, and a rather big and muscular man appeared. He had a thick moustache, and was bald, save for a lock of hair hanging over the front. Nikita surmised that this was Alex Armstrong, Olivier's brother.

 _He didn't fight in the Rectan war? He looks like he could take on a platoon of Belkan troops in hand-to-hand and kill them all._ Nikita thought.

"Sister, I didn't know you were home." Alex said. He then noticed Nikita.

"And who is this?" Alex asked.

"Nikita Bordin. Your sister is my commanding officer, and friend." Nikita said.

"Really?" Alex asked. His face began to sparkle, and he grabbed Nikita.

"Welcome to the Armstrong family!" He said, crushing the Yuke pilot in a bone-crushing hug.

"You're crushing my lungs and ribcage!" Nikita growled, trying to break free. When it appeared Alex wouldn't let go, Nikita grabbed his K-bar knife, and stabbed Alex in the arm.

"Agggh!" Alex said, grabbing the rather light wound.

"If the Belkans launch a counter-attack, I'll need everything to fight them, including my organs." Nikita said.

"Anyway, thanks for coming Alex. Duel with Olivier." Philip said.

"What?" Nikita asked, looking at the older man.

"It's to decide who gets to obtain the Armstrong mansion, and everything else to the family." Philp said.

Nikita knew Olivier had some family issues to resolve, but this was crazy. They just came out of harsh fighting over the city.

"Fine by me." Olivier said, brandishing her sword. She then put her pistol and machine gun on the table.

"Are you crazy?" Nikita and Alex asked.

"Olivier told me to retire and to leave the country." Philip said.

"Really?" Alex asked. He then took his shirt off, revealing his muscular build.

Nikita backed up. Even if he teamed up with Olivier, there was no way they'd win.

"I'll show you what my muscles are capable off." Alex said.

"Don't patronize me, Alex. Your muscles are nothing without a spine." Olivier said.

A racking of a bolt caught the sibling's attention.

"Touch my commanding officer, and you're a dead man!" Nikita said, aiming Olivier's machine gun at Alex.

Olivier only smiled.

"Don't worry Nikita. I can take care of him. But I appreciate the support." Olivier said.

The two started fighting, and it was clear who would be the victory. Olivier was faster, more flexible, and more maneuverable than Alex could ever hope to match. Olivier was incredibly strong, throwing Alex thru the door, and into a wall.

"I'm not through with you yet." Olivier growled, dragging Alex like a rag doll. She then put her arm around his neck and squeeze real hard.

"Are you going to kill me?" Alex asked.

"Took you that long to notice?" Olivier growled, tightening the grip.

One of Olivier's younger sister appeared in view.

"Good luck, brother." She said, before leaving with her father, as they left the mansion, and then Ustio.

"It'll be a miracle if he survives this fight." Nikita muttered, watching Olivier throw Alex around, like a piece of paper. "Get over here!" Olivier said, running after Alex. Alex was then thrown into a large water fountain, spilling water all over the place.

Olivier grabbed Alex, and threw him inside the main room into a wall.

"This outcome has been decided. I own everything." Olivier said, putting her sword away. Nikita gave her the weapons she brought on the mission.

"Thanks." Olivier said to Nikita.

"How'd the hell did you do that? You destroyed him like none other." Nikita said.

"He's stronger than I am, but I'm a better combatant than he is. Besides, I've been in the military for a few years now. First the Belkan military, now the Ustio air-force." Olivier said.

"You could hide a battalion of troops in here. And some fighter jets." Nikita said.

"You could hide the battalion, but not the planes." Olivier said.

"Olivier? Why?" Alex asked, crawling out of the rubble.

"We've only taken Ustio back. Belka still has a strong military, plus cruise missiles, ICBMs, BMs, stealth aircraft, nuclear weapons, biological weapons, chemical weapons, the list goes on. If they launch a good sized counter attack with the right firepower, all our progress will have been for naught." Olivier said.

"So you had the family flee in order to keep them safe?" Alex asked.

"Yes. The defeated should disappear. The mansion belongs to me now." Olivier said.

"General." Nikita said.

"Yes?" Olivier asked.

"You know something about the Belkan military. What kind of weapons will they use next?" Nikita asked.

"In the past, we heard rumors of many projects going on. A super-fighter of incredible power called Morgan. An anti-ballistic defensed called Excalibure. A nuclear missile that'll destroy Osea or Yuktobania with one shot. A large bomber that can fly non-stop across the world, and is capable of great destructive power. But these are rumors. However, since we took Ustio and all the lands Belka conquered, it may be a matter of time before Belka uses said weapons." Olivier said.

"Strange. Yuktobania has some Intel about the Belkan weapons project. We only got little fragments, so I didn't believe it. Seems like it's true." Nikita said.

"I have something to tell you." Olivier said.

"Lay it one me." Nikita said.

"If something happens to me, I want you to take command of the Armstrong mansion." Olivier said.

"General, I'll be going back to Yuktobania when the war is over." Nikita said.

"Leave that part to me. I'm not called the ice queen for no reason." Olivier said.

"Amen to that." Nikita said.

"And give this to the pilots on base." Olivier said, handing Nikita a large box of Chateau Boloise.

"It's a hard to find Cabernet. Perfect to celebrate this." Olivier said.


	10. Chapter 10 Bastion

Ch 10 Bastion

The Belkan high command was desperate to turn the war around. The general went thru every plan thought off. Many idea were quickly written off the board.

Nuclear weapons would only invite reprisal, and be the end of Belka. Using chemical and biological weapons would only entice their enemies to do the same thing. In short, Belka was screwed. It was only a matter of time before the allies pushed into the Fatherland.

The leader of Belka, once called the Fuhrer, now called the Failure by his own generals, was in his room, overlooking a map of Belka, and eating some mashed potatoes.

Keitel came into the room and the Failure talked to him.

"Ah, Keitel. I'll need your help. I'm concerned with how the war is going. Belka should be winning this war, but we're not. It's unbelievable." The failure said.

"How can I help?" Keitel asked.

"I need you to get things organized. I believe that's our problem. We'll regain the offensive once our forces are organized. You have any questions?" the failure asked.

"None, my failure." Keitel said.

"Good. Win the war." The failure said.

Valais air-base

"Such bullshit!" Nikita shouted.

"What is it?" PJ asked.

"We're going to invade Belka, under the pretense of 'nuclear inspection.' What a joke. You know, the higher ups should tell us straight forward, we're invading Belka to end the war. That's final. I'd be so much happier because of it." Nikita said.

"You know, those politicians sit back and play war with our lives. It doesn't seem fair. We might end up fighting them after the Belkans." Larry said.

"I agree. When this war is over, I'll stay in Ustio. The leadership here seems to be more competent and honest than elsewhere." Nikita said.

"Guys, what if Belka is making nuclear arms?" PJ asked.

"Making? Belka already has nuclear weapons. And we're not gonna find them at the front lines. Why would Belka have their most powerful weapons in the front lines, only for us to take them? They're probably hidden in the northern country in some spot." Brian said.

"Kid, flying with ideals like that will get you killed. Don't try to convert us. We're all bunch of cynics, killing for money." Nikita said.

The pilots shuffled into the briefing room, where Olivier was standing. And she was pissed.

"Alright. Higher ups have decided to investigate Belka for nuclear arms. What a bunch of bullshit. You're to attack the Hydrian line, Belka's first line of defense." She said.

Some of the pilots cursed in response. The Belkans were gonna put up a fierce resistance to stop the allied forces.

"Situated at the peak of Mt. Ivrea, the ruins of Glatisant have been transformed into a modern and deadly defense, completed with heavy anti-air weaponry. Galm and Alchemy team's mission is to launch an attack on Glatisant, opening the door to Belka for our ground troops."

"This will be an extended mission. If you need fuel or supplies, come back to base. No use fighting on an empty stomach. Godspeed." Olivier finished.

The pilots headed towards their aircraft, in a slightly depressed mood.

"Can you believe this?" Larry asked.

"No. I can't." Nikita responded.

As the pilots taxied on the runaway, Nikita swore he heard someone say "How could you forget to fuel up? Get over here."

Glatisant, Belka

"Nuclear inspection, huh. What a joke." Larry said, the network of multiple fortresses on sight. This would be a nightmare.

"Fire away at Glatisant. Your job is to take out their defense mechanisms." Eagle Eye said.

Nikita flew near the ground, and strafed some Belkan ground troops. Suddenly, a flare was fired at his positions.

"Enemy fighters, take them down!" a Belkan commander said. And just like that, Glatisant fortress opened up with its anti-air guns.

"Holy shit. They got a lot down there." An Osean pilot said, as he fired rockets onto the Belkan fortress. The rockets only hit the side, and did little to break it.

"It's hell out here, above and below." An Ustio pilot said.

Nikita flew over the first fortress, and dropped 2 bombs directly on top. The bombs broke thru the stonework, and detonated inside, killing anyone caught within the blast.

"I'm hit, going down!" Another Ustio pilot said.

"Damn it." Larry muttered, as he dodged triple a fire. He accelerated away from the gunfire and turned around. Putting the crosshairs on the fortress, he dropped a shrapnel bomb, which exploded above the anti-air guns, rendering them useless.

"Good one, Pixy." Cipher said.

"We're not done with this yet." Larry said.

"This is area gate! A fire's broken out inside."

"Sector A has been taken care off. Head for the other sectors." Eagle Eye said.

"Easier said than done." PJ said.

PJ skimmed across a valley, and strafed and fired missiles at spare enemy AA guns, scattered over the battle zone. They still had to deal with the bigger threat, the main fortress, controlling the defense of Glatistant.

"Look at all those holes. Must have took a lot of firepower to do that." A ground soldier said, looking at the fortress with binoculars.

"I wonder how many soldiers died in that charge." Pixy said.

"I'd rather not know." Nikita said back.

"Enemy spotted. Initiate attack." A Belkan said, seeing the allied jets heading towards them.

The Belkans fired everything they had. Flak cannons, machine guns, SAMs, everything.

"They must hate our guts to put it something like this." An Osean pilot said, as he raced against the thick AA fire to survive.

"Take out the pillboxes. That should make your job easier." Eagle Eye said.

"Lets hope so." Nikita said, as he fired a missiles into a pillbox, destroying it.

"Shit." He said, as another pillbox opened up with its machine gun. Said pillbox was quickly neutralized.

"Eagle Eye, is there any way we can get reinforcements here?" Cipher asked, as he dropped napalm bombs onto the Belkan fortress, destroying a group of anti-air guns.

"It'll take too long for any reinforcements to arrive. You'll have to take Glatisant on your own." Eagle Eye said.

"Looks like an ocean of bullets coming at us." Pixy said.

"Pixy, follow me. We'll take them from the top." Cipher said.

The Galm team flew over the area wall, and dive bombed the fortress. Other pilots joined as well, but several were killed by the Belkan defenders.

"I'm going down!"

"She's breaking up. Ejecting."

The pilots spread themselves out, taking any remnant Belkan positions out. It was a dangerous job, because the pilot had no-one to back him or her up.

"Stay alert, or you'll be shot full of holes." Pixy said.

"Thanks for the obvious." An Ustio pilot snarled.

"Cooperate with all areas and take out those planes." A Glatisant soldier said.

"Yo Buddy, sounds like they're getting desperate." Pixy said.

"You willing to risk your life on that?" Nikita asked.

"I'm just saying. We must be close." Pixy said.

"I won't let them pass Glatisant. Keep the allied forces out!" a Belkan said.

"40% of enemy forces is under our control. Follow the Galm team." An Osean pilot said.

"We got MiG 29s on an intercept course." Nikita said.

Nikita and Cipher moved against the enemy Fulcrums.

"Has the enemy gotten this far?" a Belkan pilot asked.

"No matter. We'll stop them right here." His wingman said.

"Yeah, after you're dead." Nikita spat, firing an air-to-air missile and downing an enemy plane. Little did Nikita know, that the next few weeks would prove his words to be prophetic.

"The area wall is destroyed! I repeat, the area wall is destroyed!" a Belkan said to his officer.

"Sector E has been stripped of all functions. Well done." Eagle Eye said.

"You bastards better have our pay ready for us. I've worked too hard to be under-paid." Pixy said.

"Don't worry, Pixy. We got the money in your account. Just come home safely." Eagle Eye said.

"Roger that." Pixy replied.

The operation was turning into the hands of the allies forces. Most of the Belkan troops were falling, and the Glatisant defense were crumbling under the onslaught of bombs and bullets.

"This is Area castle. All functions are down. Most of our troops have fallen."

"No more enemy attacks are coming from sector B. Well done. All planes, time to rock and roll. Take down Glatisant!" Eagle Eye said, encouraging the weary pilots.

"Tell the remaining forces to evacuate. We've lost this battle."

"Just a few more fortifications. We're almost done." Nikita muttered. He flew over a castle, which had 3 ramparts, armed to the teeth with anti-air guns.

Suddenly, his Fulcrum shook real hard, and a loud noise was heard.

"Damn it!" Nikita growled. He pitched away from the enemy fire, and looked at his controls.

"Nikita, you're trailing smoke from your left engine." PJ said.

"Thanks for the notice." Nikita said. He shut down the engine and diverted the remaining fuel to his right engine.

"Not like this. Not like this." He muttered. He turned on the enemy fortress, and dropped his remaining bombs on the ramparts.

"This is the springboard to nuclear fortress. We gotta sink that fortress." An Osean pilot said, firing rockets at the last bastion of Glatisant fortress.

The remaining fighters joined in, and destroyed the last of the Glatisant fortress.

"Glatisant's attack powers have been neutralized. All planes, return to base." Eagle Eye said.

As the remaining fighters headed back to base, Pixy noticed something.

"Did something just flash?" he wondered aloud.

Had the pilots looked on their radars, they would have noticed that the allied planes coming from the west were shot down, after the flash of light.

The mood was tense. They Ustio and Osean pilots had just survived the most lethal battle of the war, so far. No-one spoke or made light of the situation. Why jinx it?

Nikita looked at the controls of his fighter, and ran a diagnostic. His fuel levels were running on empty, and flying was rather hard, thanks to all the damage. He opened a pocket on his G-suit, and pulled out a picture of the Ustio general, Olivier Armstrong.

"Just a bit more, and I can see you again." Nikita said, then put the picture in his pocket.

"How, how is this possible?" a mechanic asked, seeing the surviving planes. They were shot up to hell and back. There was simply no way to repair them. They would have to get replace all the damaged fighters.

"Damn, can't believe we got through that." Nikita said, examining his MiG-29. Bullet holes were over the place. How he survived, let alone flew like that, was a miracle.

Nikita headed towards his quarters, and fell on his bed, exhausted. He had no idea that the war would get more brutal and darker.


	11. Chapter 11 Merlon

Ch 11 Merlon

Dinsmark, Belka

The Belkan generals and their leader were in another meeting, discussing the current situation, and what to do next.

"I may be repeating myself, but we can't hold the allied forces back much longer. They took Ustio back, and Glatisant. It's only a matter of time before they take on the northern countries. The south-west part of Belka talks of defecting to Osea." General Keitel warned.

"Our forces will not retreat. Tell General Busse to stop them at the Schayne Plaines. We have enough weapons to stop them." Fuhrer Failure said.

A bald man then objected.

"My failure, Busse doesn't have the forces to stop the combined assault of Osea and Ustio. They will be destroyed." Jodl said.

"We will drive them back to the border. We have the Excalibur laser weapon in our hands. It'll be operational very soon." Fuhrer failure confidently said.

"We have anything else than Excalibure?" Jodl asked.

"Steiner is gathering his forces to launch an assault. Their currently based at the round table. They have the fighter jets to help win the war." Failure said, moving his hand over a map.

"Steiner is to far way to help. The allied forces will see the movements and kill them before they have a chance." Krebs said.

"Wenck. His forces are closer. Pull them to assist at the Schayne Plaines. If not, position them to defend Excalibure." Failure said.

"My failure, Wenck's forces are on the western front. If we pull them back, Osea is in a position to attack." Jodl said.

"Tell them to get the fuck over here!" Failure ranted.

"It'll backfire on us!" Jodl warned.

"This plan won't backfire. We have excalibure. Once we destroy the Ustio mercenaries, than we can take care of any Osean advance!" Failure ranted.

Valais air-base, Ustio

Nikita looked over his new MiG-29, shipped over by Osea. One thing he noticed, was thrust vectoring engines in place. He knew that would give him an incredible tactical advantage against Belkan fighter.

"You like her?" Olivier asked, walking up to Nikita, holding two cups of coffee.

"I do. And the thrust vectoring engines is an added benefit." Nikita said.

"Also, the plane has Osean avionics and electronics package. The best in the world. Increased fuel capacity so you can loiter in a battle longer." Olivier said.

"Amazing. I have to thank you for ordering this." Nikita said.

"Being in charge of the entire Ustio military has its perks. And having the 'ice queen' reputation only helps." Olivier said.

"So now that we kicked down the front door, what's next?" Nikita asked.

"I'll tell in the briefing. It's in 2 hours. Might want to get something to eat." Olivier said.

"Yes sir." Nikita said, saluting Olivier. Smiling, she saluted back. Nikita was one of the few legitimate military pilots left on the base. Everyone was a mercenary, so they disregarded military protocol.

Two hours later, the briefing started.

"Belka's second line of defense stretches across the Schayne plains in the central region of southern Belka."

"Centered on two anti-aircraft camps, this line blocks our refueling unit's air route and is already delaying our military plans. This attack will consist of attacks on enemy ground troops, and engagements with enemy fighters."

"There will be three squadrons in total. Alpha team will be responsible for destroying enemy ground ordinance. Beta's team job will be to eliminate air resistance and to destroy enemy ground ordinance. Theta team will eliminate air resistance and establish air supremacy over the target area. Escort allied transport craft after all three operations are completed. That is all." Olivier said.

As the pilots headed to their planes, PJ talked to Nikita.

"Any reason why Belka isn't backing down?" PJ asked.

"Jesus Christ. They will not back down, especially since we're invading their country. Ustio sure as hell fought to the bitter end when the Belkans attacked, as would any other country. You think that they're now gonna sue for peace, especially since we took the first line of defense from them?" Nikita asked.

"Um, that was the hope." PJ said.

Nikita scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You know what, I'm not gonna bother explaining it to you. I'll let the Belkans explain it, with blood and steel." Nikita said.

As the planes get into position to sortie, Nikita noticed many of the mechanics and ground personal watching them, and several were waving at them.

He waved back before he gunned the engines, and took off from Valais, behind the Galm team.

"Any reason what that was about?" PJ asked.

"I guess we're getting real famous with the local population." Larry said.

Schayne Plains, southern Belka

"Cipher, look at the view. There's not much difference between those countries from up here." Pixy said.

"I agree. It's a hell of a view. Too bad we're gonna litter the ground with dead planes and bodies." Cipher said.

"Belkan planes approaching. Shoot them down and secure air superiority." Eagle Eye said.

MiG-29's came on the scene to intercept the allied fighters. With the forces spread out, Nikita and PJ targeted a group of enemy Fulcrums.

"Fox 1." PJ said, firing a sidewinder, taking out one enemy plane. Nikita chased his wingman, and shot him down with his 30mm nose cannon.

"Nikita, one behind you." PJ said.

Nikita turned around, and saw the MiG chasing after him. Nikita pulled the stick into a hard left climb, turning into his opponent. The Belkan didn't follow thru.

"Why is he leaving?" Nikita muttered.

Nikita pursued him, and fired another missile. It detonated, and did some damage to the enemy plane.

"This is Meteor 4, I'm hit."

Nikita closed the distance, and delivered the coup 'de grace to the enemy plane.

"Mercenary bastard. Only you would be so cruel to shoot down a wounded man!" a Belkan shouted, seeing the dogfight.

"Come get me, you piece of shit!" Nikita shouted.

The enemy MiG dove into the fight, but against the more experienced Yuke pilot flying the superior MiG, it wasn't a contest. Nikita fired his guns, and the Belkan flew right into it, dying in the process.

"They've pretty much lost control of the ground." An Osean pilot reported.

"Makes our job a hell of a lot easier." Pixy said.

"Our air squadron is all that's left. We have to destroy the allied forces." A Belkan pilot said.

Across the battlefield, fighter jets from both sides angrily dueled for control of the Schayne plains.

"I can't believe Belka won't retreat. They're still trying to fight us." a Sapin pilot said.

"Do the math. We're invading their country. If your country was to be invaded by an enemy, would you bow down and quit? Or would you grab a rifle and fight back?" Pixy retorted.

"I agree. A country like that who expects things to happen their way, with no regard to anything else, is doomed to fail. And history will not mourn the passing of said country that was foolish." Nikita said.

"Fox 3." Nikita said, firing 3 long range missiles, taking down Belkan fulcrums.

"Something's not right. Belka should have more planes than this." Pixy said.

"Maybe they knew they couldn't hold this territory, and are preparing for the next fight." An Osean pilot suggested.

"Really? You're full of shit. They got something else planned. Why fail to commit your forces to a fight, unless you got a trick up your sleeve?" Pixy asked.

Suddenly, the allied transport planes were under attack by Belkan interceptors.

"Get them off our backs! We can't handle them."

Cipher and Pixy headed towards the transports, and saw a squadron of MiG-25s firing at the transports.

"Fox 2." Cipher said, firing his XMAA missiles, taking down 3 Foxbats.

"I don't think they intend to hold us here. It's kill or be killed." An allied pilot said.

"Pride and determination is what keeps the Belkans going. You'd be a fool to underestimate them." Pixy said.

In a few minutes, the fighting winded down. Thanks to the scarcity of the Belkan fighters in the area, Schayne plains was secured in allied hands.

"There they are. It's the allied transport planes."

Five C5 transport planes flew into the airspace, with the mercenary pilots escorting them in.

"Thanks for securing air superiority."

"No problem."

The group flew in silence as they entered the center of the operation airspace when out of the blue, a flash of light was seen.

"Something flashed again." Pixy said, seeing the light with his own eyes.

The light hit the C5 transports, and the escorting pilots could only watch as they exploded in midair. Anything that wasn't vaporized fell to the earth, whether it was machine or man.

"My god. My god!" Nikita shouted, looking ahead for the next blast.

"What the hell's going on?!"

The fighters spread out, not knowing what was going on, but all dreaded being hit by the same deadly flash of light.

"AWACS? What's going on?!" Larry shouted.

"Hold on! Incoming message from operations HQ. Enemy launching long range attacks. Current airspace is within range." Eagle Eye said.

"No shit! Where the fuck do we go!?" Nikita shouted, in rage that command failed to tell them of the new Belkan weapon. Then he remembered something. Olivier had told him that she heard rumors of Belka developing such a weapon, from her time in the Belkan military. Now, they were using it.

"Transmitting projected enemy targeting coordinates. All units, evade attacks and withdraw from airspace!" Eagle Eye ordered.

"Here comes an attack. Watch out!"

"Arrgghh!" someone yelled, as the laser beam vaporized his plane.

Nikita looked on his radar, and saw a bright red flash on the radar, telling him of the Belkan laser weapon.

"Plane 4 just vanished! Allied planes are disappearing off the radar!"

"Plane 6 is gone too."

"This is bad. I'm out of here!" Pixy said, as he gunned his Eagle towards the boarder.

Nikita and everyone else followed suit. Nikita kept an eye on his radar, and jerked hard right when the laser fired again.

It died down, and Nikita gunned it. The laser fired again, and Nikita was forced to dodge the blast.

"PJ, this weapon has a cycle of 12 seconds. After 12, slow down, and turn hard." Nikita said.

As the pilots raced towards the boarder, suffering losses, Nikita had a fleeting thought. _If the Belkans are using laser weapons, what hope do we have of winning this war? Let alone surviving it?_

"Galm team, Alchemy team. You've made it past the kill zone. Return to base." Eagle Eye said.

"Looks like we get to live another day, Cipher." Pixy said, although dejected because they could be called on another mission tomorrow.

Valais air-base.

"Welcome back." Said the control tower operator.

Nikita parked his aircraft in a hanger, and climbed out of the cockpit, body shaking. He opened a canteen of water, and downed it.

"Blegh!" he muttered, as he then vomited the water, and whatever he had for lunch.

"God, that was scary." PJ said, approaching Nikita.

"I'm gonna rest." Nikita said.

The pilots went into the rec room, and crashed onto any piece of furniture they saw. The only thing going thru their minds was 'Will we live to see the end of the war'.


	12. Chapter 12 sword of annihilation

Ch 12 Sword of Annihilation

An F-14D super tomcat skimmed the boarder of southern Belka. The pilot was Osean air-force pilot, Jack Bartlett.

The person sitting in the back seat was Yuktobanian intelligence officer, Natasya Obertas. Bartlett was ordered by Osean command to take Natasya to Valais air-base, and give vital information to the Ustio mercs.

While the Osean air-force could handle Excalibure by themselves, it would divert many resources away from other fronts. The Ustians were the best option. They were the closet to the weapon, and their pilots were some of the best in the world, rivaling the Belkan air-force.

And the highest ranking member of the Ustio military, Olivier Armstrong, was well known among the allied forces.

But there was one problem. The Ustian military was practically broke, relying on supplies from Osea and other friendly countries.

"I can't believe Belka was developing such a weapon. The sooner we take it out, the better." Jack said.

"It's a good thing I'm here. I got all the information about the weapon." Natasya said, holding a floppy disk.

Suddenly, the radar chirped, as a Belkan Rafale C moved to intercept them.

"Shit, we got a radar contact!" Jack shouted.

Jack went full throttle and pitched upward, as the Belkan chased after him. A buzzing noise was heard, as the Belkan acquired a lock.

"He's got a lock on us." Natasya said.

The Belkan fired his guns, and several rounds hit the Tomcat.

"There goes the IFF." Jack muttered.

Jack dumped chaffs and flares to ward off any missile attack. Looking behind him, he saw the Belkan closing in for a gun kill. Left hand gripping the throttle, he pulled back hard and the Belkan overshot.

Jack locked a missiles on the Belkan, and fired a missile. The sidewinder flew straight into the Belkan fighter, destroying it.

"Glad that's done with." Natasya said, taking deep breaths.

"We got more problems. Our IFF is dead. They won't be able to see we're friendly." Jack said.

They continued towards Valais air-base, and soon came into view of the mountain base. Two fighter jets appeared. An F-16, and a Gripen. The fighters lined up behind the tomcat, and quickly got a weapons lock on Jack.

"What the?" Jack muttered, as the ringing went in his headset.

"Unidentified tomcat. Answer password challenge, Isoroku." One of the pilots said.

"Password challenge?" Jack asked, looking at Natasya.

"Never heard of it." Natasya said.

"This is Osean Tomcat 0968. We do not know of any password." Bartlett said.

Natasya went thru the few papers she was given, and quickly searched thru them, hoping to find something about the password challenge.

"Repeat, password challenge Isoroku. 5 seconds to respond, or we will shoot you down." The escorting pilot said.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1." The pilot said, before Natasya quickly blurted the answer.

"Trotsky! The answer is Trotsky!" she said, hoping it was the right one.

"Affirmative. 0968, land at Valais runway 2." The escorting pilot said, breaking off.

"Thanks for that." Jack said.

"You're welcome. Man, I never heard of that. Olivier must be getting paranoid." Natasya said.

"She has good reason to." Jack responded.

The Tomcat landed, where various soldiers and pilots were waiting. And they were heavily armed.

"Move, move! Get out." A soldier said, aiming an M4 rifle at them.

"Keep moving!" A pilot growled, pushing Bartlett forward, shotgun in hand.

"I want to speak to the commanding officer on this base." Natasya said.

"Shut up." Nikita said, aiming his PSG1 rifle at her.

The two were forced on their knees, and they looked at the motley group of soldiers and pilots who were eyeing them suspiciously.

"How'd you come here? This is behind the frontlines." Cipher said.

"We were sent by operations command. I need to speak to the commanding officer on this base." Natasya said.

"I'll speak to you." Olivier said. At that moment, all the soldiers went into attention.

"Port, arms." Nikita shouted, holding his rifle.

Jack and Natasya looked up, and saw two lines of Ustio troops, pilots, and mercs. Their eyes were steeled in concentration. Armstrong waked down the aisle, towards the two newcomers.

"Why are you here?" Olivier asked, hand on sword.

"I told you. We were sent by command." Natasya said, irritated.

Olivier quickly kicked her down, then pulled out a G-18, and pointed it at Jack.

"Don't even try it." She growled.

Jack only looked in fear. If she wanted to kill them, she'd do so.

"Search them." Olivier said.

Pixy and Cipher searched the two of them, taking several items. Pistols, ammo, some papers, water canteens, and a floppy disk.

"Put it in my quarters. And put them in the brig, until we know of their mission. And destroy that Tomcat. Can't let the Belkans know what's going on." Olivier ordered.

Nikita and Olivier went over the Intel that was found on the floppy disk. It was about the laser attacks that hit them at Schayne plains.

"How long did they know about this?" Nikita asked.

"From the date gathered, only 12 hours ago." Olivier said.

"Alright. So we pop this fucker and back on the initiative." Nikita said.

"Correct. Get Natasya and Bartlett. I'll speak with them." Olivier said.

"Yes sir." Nikita said, smiling.

The two prisoners were brought to meet Olivier.

"I knew you were paranoid, but I didn't know this. Talk about a war crime." Jack sarcastically said.

Olivier grabbed Jack and tossed him across the room, into a wall.

"If you've been fighting the Belkans since day one, you'd be paranoid as I am. With that weapon, they can turn the tide of the war, and you want to talk about war crime, the Belkans will teach you and your girlfriend all about it!" Olivier growled.

She then turned to Natasya.

"Tell me about Excalibur." Olivier said.

"It fires a laser beam of 1.21 gigawatts. The radome is where the beam fires from. It pivots on a vertical axis, but not sideways, so the weapon is vulnerable to close range. But the problem is getting close to it." Natasya said.

"We know that the ray fires every 12 seconds. We can use that to our advantage. What are its defenses, and how can we destroy it?" Olivier asked.

"It gathers power from 4 external generators. The generators gather energy from solar panels built around it. If you can destroy generators and panels, Excalibur will take longer to fire. And since you'll be that close, the main beam can't hit your fighters as easily. But they will have defenses." Natasya said.

"What kind, other than normal?" Olivier asked.

"RTLS railroad laser systems. There are 4 of them. The laser cannon is capable of 360 degree rotation, but the laser beam itself is short range." Natasya said.

"So we zoom in, pop the generators and the railroad guns, and blow the main cannon to pieces. Should be doable." Olivier said.

"You got enough forces to pull off such an attack?" Bartlett asked.

"I've called in reinforcements. I was gonna have them for another operation, but we'll throw everything at Excalibure. And Captain, you're coming with us." Olivier said.

"Woah. Back up a minute. I was ordered to bring Intel to you guys. Not join you in a fight." Bartlett said.

"Listen to me. If we fail this mission, the Belkans will beef up the defenses at Excalibure, making it impregnable. Nobody will be able to take it down. And if by some miracle they do, they'll lose so many forces, they'll won't be able to continue the war. This is our only chance to destroy Excalibure. If you won't join us…" Olivier said.

Olivier than pulled out a M9 pistol.

"You are garbage. And at Valais, we dispose of garbage. Get it?"

"Got it." Bartlett said.

Olivier called in and aid.

"Order a Tu-95 bomber. And as many long-range cruise missiles it can carry." Olivier said.

"Yes sir."

"Get in the briefing room. The other pilots will arrive." Olivier said.

Pilots entered the briefing room, wondering what the next mission would be. No-one forgot the laser weapon the Belkans had. Some said that they were going after it. Others said otherwise.

"We discovered that "the unidentified laser weapon" is a long-range offensive weapon codenamed "Excalibur". We believe it to be a Belkan anti-aircraft defense chemical laser weapon developed as a missile defense system. According to our information, the strike zone is heavily guarded by a jamming facility and multiple anti-aircraft artillery units."

"Your objective is to destroy Excalibur. But to do that, you must first neutralize the jamming facility and the anti-aircraft artillery. Considering the importance of your target to the enemy, I'm afraid there is no way to avoid casualties from enemy's resistance. In light of this, we've called in reinforcements for this mission. Work together with them to achieve the mission objectives." Olivier said, dismissing the pilots.

"So we're going after Excalibur. Can you believe it?" PJ asked.

"Yes. I can believe it." Nikita said, shrugging off PJ.

Tauberg, Belka

"Galm team, this is crow team. PJ, is that you?" Crow 1 asked.

"It's me." PJ said.

"So when are you planning to buy those flowers?" Crow 1 asked.

"Wait around too long and another guy is gonna steal her away from you, you know." Crow 2 sneered.

"This is no time to talk about my personal life." PJ objected.

"Yeah. Lets blabber all over the radio so the Belkans can find the signal, and shoot us down with their laser weapon. Clever. Really nice." Nikita sarcastically said.

"Looks like the cavalry's here to the rescue." Pixy said.

"Shit, it's looked on to us." Bartlett said, as the radar showed a bright red beam taking a good portion of the screen.

Excalibure fired its laser, and the blue bright light was sighted. It swung left to right, and destroyed the tanker.

"The tanker's been destroyed." Eagle Eye said.

"Thank you, captain obvious. We needed to know that." Cipher said.

"Approaching Excalibur. You're in dangerous airspace. All planes, break! Break!" Eagle Eye said.

"Alchemy team, you guys take the left. We'll take the right. Everyone else, go up the gut." Cipher said, ordering around.

"We got ground-based jammers over the place." Bartlett said, taking AA fire.

"Thanks for the warning." Nikita said.

Nikta fired his machine guns, and took out a jammer, then swung north and sighted 2 Mi-24 choppers. He quickly shot them down.

"Pixy to PJ. If you get shot down, crash where I can't see." Pixy said.

"Roger that. Leave it to me." PJ said. Nikita and Pixy face-palmed themselves, annoyed with PJ.

"Nikita, the money I'll earn from this mission. I'll give it to you if you shoot down PJ." Pixy said.

"We need everyone on this op." Nikita said.

"I didn't say shoot him down this second." Pixy said.

"Here comes another attack. All planes, break, break." Eagle Eye said.

"This is really cramping my style. Hurry up and destroy the jammers." Bartlett said.

"Destroy them yourselves! We're busy trying to stay alive at the moment." Cipher retorted.

"Crow team, follow me. We're taking out these jammers." Nikita said, heading towards the last 3 jammers, right into the path of Excalibur. Another laser beam was fired, but failed to hit the pilots.

"It missed?" Crow 1 asked.

"We must be getting close." Nikita said, dropping a UBG on a jammer facility.

"Pickle, pickle." Crow 4 said, dropping a cluster bomb on another jammer facility.

"I took out several of the defenses around excalibure, but those railroad guns are a pain in the neck." Bartlett said.

"One problem at a time." Cipher said, as raced towards the last jamming facility. The laser beam narrowly missed Cipher, as he dove towards the earth, and fired two missiles at the jammer.

"All jammer's destroyed. The main facility is all we have left." Pixy said.

"All planes, attack Excalibur. Go for its power facilities and the cannon itself." Eagle Eye said.

"Shit!" a pilot screamed, as the RTLS shot him down.

Nikita flew towards one of the RTLS lasers, watching the beam fire upward. Heavily breathing, he pulled the trigger, and fired rockets at the railroad gun, destroying it.

"One down, three to go." Nikita said.

Cipher fired 3 air-to-ground missiles, destroying another railroad cannon.

"We can do this. No, we will do it." An Ustio pilot said, firing missiles at Excalibur.

Pixy took care of the last railroad guns, clearing the path for an all-out attack on Excalibur.

"All railroad artillery down." Eagle Eye said.

"All right. Lets take out the king's sword now." Crow 2 said.

With the power facilities destroyed with the railroad guns, Excalibur was having a hard time firing. The crews were desperate to get Excalibur working.

"Power facilities are destroyed! Things are looking good up here." Pixy said, firing a missile at the radome.

"I think it's gonna happen. Just keep attacking!" PJ said.

"Yo buddy, you everyone fired and believing in miracles." Pixy said. Whether to PJ, or Cipher, was unknown.

The attacking pilots quickly ran into a problem.

"I'm out of missiles." Bartlett said.

"Me to." Nikita said.

Pilots reported their ammo count. Few had any missiles or bombs left. They were quickly used up, but Excalibur was still firing.

"We must have emergency power. Use it all! I don't care if it burns up from feedback!" a worker inside Excalibur said.

"Valais air-base, this is Nikita. We need reinforcements, right now!" Nikita reported.

"We've no reinforcements. What's going on?" an operator asked.

"We're all out of missiles and ammo. And Excalibur is still operational. If you got anything you can send us, send it now." Nikita said.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." Olivier said, over the radio.

"General?" PJ asked.

"I brought a Tu-95, with enough cruise missiles to destroy Excalibur. You might get out of the way." Olivier said, in the cockpit of the Bear bomber.

"You guys are lucky. Your General has balls of steel." Bartlett said, impressed that Armstrong would go out in the battle with her own troops.

"That's why my men follow my orders. I participate with them if needs be. I don't sit in the capital and let the boardroom be the only part of the war I see." Olivier said.

Putting Excalibur's coordinate into the nave computer, then slaving the cruise missiles to the radar, Olivier fired 4 cruise missiles towards Excalibur.

4 rapid explosions were seen, and when the dust settled, Excalibur was leaning over, and split in two pieces, falling to the ground.

"Confirmed elimination of target. We can see it from here. Nice job." Eagle Eye said.

"The sword has been pulled from the stone. It was Ustio's pilots who did it."

"Right on. That's what I call teamwork!" PJ exclaimed.

"Cipher, you hear that warm welcome? It's the sweet sound of victory! Not bad for a bunch of misfits. Huh?" Pixy asked.

"All planes, job well done! PJ, don't get too excited and crash!" Eagle Eye said.

"Yeehawww!" PJ shouted, as he dove towards the earth, and pulled up at the last second.

Dinsmark, Belka

Fuhrer failure was having dinner with his generals and friends. An aid handed him a folder.

"This report will tell me that Excalibure was successful." Failure said, opening it.

After reading it, he told the report.

"Excalibure has been destroyed. Heavy losses on our side, minimal losses on the enemy side. The mercenaries had single handedly destroyed the weapons by themselves. Ustio. YOU FUCKERS TURNED MY CHANCE FOR VICTORY INTO FAILURE! Speer, yah. He can't produce enough weapons to stop the allies. Goering, yah. He's too lazy to do anything. And all the others. Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya! If this keeps up, we will have no more forces left to fight with. This will be the end of Belka!" the failure ranted.

"Please leave me with Dr. Sleketor and my friends." The failure said. Most of the people left the room.

"And bring me General Ludendorff." The failure said.

"My failure, we don't know where he is." A colonel said.

"That's impossible. He couldn't have left. We need him." The failure said.

"You want us to look for him?" the colonel asked.

"Right now, damn it!" the failure said.

"Some believe that we're losing this war. The destruction of Excalibur is just a set-back. We have many more weapons to use at our disposal." The failure said.

"My failure, the allied forces get stronger and stronger." Frau Reitsch said, concerned.

"Don't worry. They will not win this war. Now pay attention, Dr. Skeletor and friends. We've suffered set-backs, but we're descendants from the famed Belkan Knights. Their blood runs in our veins. Those decadent capitalist have no chance of crushing us. I have a rude awakening for them." The failure said.

"What's your plan?" Dr. Skeletor asked.

"Our forces in the north are mobilizing. Hoffnung and other industrial cities are producing wonder weapons to help turn the tide. We'll crush the enemy in a massive outwards thrust. We'll have 2,000 fighter jets, bombers, and cruise missiles to destroy the enemies and kick them out of the country." The failure said.

"It's a great plan. I'm glad that you're the fuhrer." Frau Reitsch said.

However, the Belkan's didn't have that many weapons left to fight. And their industrial cities were on the next list of targets for the allied forces.

Later, Gunsche came and told the failure about Ludendorff.

"General Ludendorff cannot be found. He's nowhere in the capital." Gunsche said.

"What, you can't find Ludendorff?" the failure asked.

"Keep searching. I need to speak to him. At once." The failure said. He continued.

"If he just left like that, that's desertion. Treason. If you can't find him, I'll be force to put Fegelein in his place. FEGELEIN! FEGELEIN! FEGELEIN!" The failure shouted, hitting his desk as he shouted Fegelein's name three times.


	13. Chapter 13 the beginning of the end

Ch 13 the beginning of the end

"I've got some friends to see." Larry said.

"Permission granted. We call could use some R&R. Enjoy." Olivier said.

"By the way." Larry said.

"What is it?" Olivier asked.

"Today's news. You might want to look at it. It'll interest you." Larry said.

Olivier didn't pay attention to it at first. Instead, she headed into Directus.

"Nikita, come with me." Olivier said.

"General, you might want to look at this." Nikita said, reading a newspaper.

Olivier got in the driver seat of a Mustang, and headed towards Directus.

"What is it you want to show me?" Olivier asked.

"You know the presidential elections are going on." Nikita said.

"Yes. That doesn't concern me." Olivier said.

"It should. You've been nominated." Nikita said.

The Mustang came to an abrupt halt. Olivier looked at Nikita.

"You serious?" Olivier asked.

"Only one way to find out." Nikita said, as he turned on the radio.

 _Here are the nominations. Jeff Saxon, Olivier Armstrong…_

"You've got to be kidding me." Olivier muttered.

 _While all the nominees have been touring the country, we've yet to see General Olivier Armstrong. Even without her appearance, she carries a lot of force with the population. She's the highest ranking member in the Ustio military, and has led its forces since the beginning of the Belkan war. She has also personally took part in several battles with her own soldiers…_

"They know what I look like, but that doesn't concern me." Olivier said.

Heierlark air-force base, southern Belka

Pixy landed his F-15 at the base and quickly parked it. Checking his watch, he was satisfied he wasn't late.

The base was relatively empty, save a few fighter jets. YF-23s and F-15S/MTDs from Osea were seen, along with a few Belkan Su-47s.

3 more planes also showed up. A Typhoon, a Su-25, and a MiG-23. All were Yuktobanian.

"What are they doing here?" Larry muttered.

The 4 newcomers entered a large briefing room, where a round table was in place.

"We're all here." A dark-skinned man said, taking off his sunglasses.

"Hello, Pixy." The man said.

"Bristow." Pixy said.

Everyone was seated down, and the meeting commenced.

"We're all here, for one reason. To stamp out the corrupted politicians, whose arrogance and blindness to the real world, have caused nothing but death and suffering. It's time we act." Anton Kupchenko said.

"I agree. Osea just wants the land for itself. And they'll use their military power to ensure it's theirs." Bristow said.

"Yuktobania sent us to the front lines, but backs away from sending the whole military to help us, only sending a few here and there. Also, the Osean imperialism must come to an end. They've wanted this to happen, so they could grab more land." Pavlov said.

"And you?" Anton asked, as another man came into the room, wearing a Belkan uniform, apparently high ranked.

"I'm General Ludendorff. My leaders have failed my country, and are killing thousands, if not millions every day in this war. The madness must end!" he yelled, slamming a fist on the table.

"What's your story, Pixy?" a Sapin pilot, Marcela Vasquez, asked.

"My story. I was a mercenary for a while, before the war. I saw horrors and atrocities that would make any person lose their minds. I want it to end. I want everything to start at zero, and entrust the future to the next generation." Pixy said.

He glared at the members, daring them to rise against him.

"Nothing will stand in my way. If I have to, I'll kill my comrades. Cipher, Nikita, Olivier, all of them." Pixy said.

"What's our plan of action?" Ludendorff asked.

"We stay hidden. We gather those who are willing to side with us. The war itself will provide weapons and supplies. We have a chance to make things right. It's for the good of everyone." Anton said.

Directus, Ustio

Olivier and Nikita entered a Golden Corral and filled their plates with food.

"In Yuktobania, we sure as hell don't have anything like this." Nikita said.

"I get the feeling Yuktobania doesn't have a lot of stuff." Olivier said.

"You'd be right on that. We're rather military oriented. But we rely on quantity, versus quality. So while we have the biggest military on the planet, it's not the most powerful. Of course, I'd rather stay here." Nikita said.

"How come?" Olivier asked.

Nikita then found himself in a slight problem. He never told anyone one the base about his feeling for Olivier Armstrong, the 'ice queen.'

Nikita drank some of his soda, and looked Olivier in the eyes.

"You." Nikita said. "You're the main reason I want to stay in Ustio. I know you're called the ice queen, but I don't care."

Olivier didn't say anything for a second. She just stared at the Yuktobanian pilot. For a second, her whole world was thrown upside down. Many people feared her, because of her persona. Alex said that she wouldn't married because she scared away so many suitors. And now, in the middle of this bloody and godforsaken war, one of her best pilots, second to galm team, was admitting his feeling towards her.

"How long?" Olivier asked.

"Since we took Glatisant. I took heavy fire in one pass. I still remember it. Alarms were singing in the cockpit, and I was in a good amount of trouble. I thought I had to eject and risk being captured by the Belkans. Of course, I didn't do that. For some reason, you came into my mind. I figured, survive this fight to see her. And that mentality has stayed with me every time I go up." Nikita said.

"You know, it's a bunch of shit." Olivier said.

"It's about hope, as foolish as that may seem right now. Us soldiers, we hold onto hope every way we can. Can it be used as a weapon? No. But having something to fight for is what keeps us going. Otherwise, why bother?" Nikita asked.

"You're right on that. This sword, has been passed down the Belkan Armstrong line for generations, from the legendary Belkan knights. Now granted, it's been repaired time and time again, but it's still the same sword." Olivier said.

"My point. You hold onto that sword, because it reminds you of your rich heritage. You have Belkan blood in your veins. The Belkans are supposed to be the best in the world. That's probably why you fight so hard. To be the best." Nikita said.

"You're right on that." Olivier said.

As the two left, they noticed a TV running, and it was about the presidential elections. Honestly, Olivier wasn't in the mood. She had a war to fight. But, it would only be a matter of time before the press found out.

The two went to the Armstrong mansion, and crashed on a couch.

"Hell of a place. How'd the Armstrong's get this?" Nikita asked.

"It's a long story. With lots of history. Most of it violent and brutal." Olivier said.

The screeching of a tire was heard, and then a door opened and closed. The front door was knocked on. Olivier looked thru a curtain, and saw a normal car.

"Who the fuck is this?" she asked.

Opening the door, she saw a journalist, holding a notepad and a pen.

"What do you want?" Olivier asked.

"I've been sent to cover you for the presidential elections." He said.

"Who sent you?" Olivier asked, hand on sword.

"The press. Who else?" the journalist asked.

Olivier muttered something along the lines off 'the Belkans better launch an attack on us, right fucking now.'

"Alright. Make it quick." Olivier said.

"First off, how'd you acquire such wealth?" the reporter asked.

"Relevant? I thought this was about the presidential election." Olivier said.

"It is. The people would also like to know more about their candidates."

"I see. So they can get ammunition to use. Lovely." Olivier spat.

"What reforms would you have for the country, when the war's over?"

"Now that's an interesting question. You see, I'm a general serving on the frontlines. I could die the next battle. So if I'm dead, I really can't do anything for the country." Olivier said.

"But, on the chance that I do survive the war, I'd make changes. For one, increase relations with Osea and Yuktobania. And strengthen the military, so that no country can threaten us again." Olivier said.

After a few more questions, the reporter left.

"Good riddance." Olivier muttered.

That night, Larry flew back to his base and made sure no-one could see him. That was the last thing he wanted, to be found. His organization was too important.

"I'm heading into town. You see Olivier?" Larry asked.

"Nope. She's not here. Nikita isn't here as well." PJ said.

"That's interesting." Larry murmured.

Putting it aside, Larry head straight to directus. He had orders to gather information on the top officers and pilots at his base. He already knew Cipher, and a bit about PJ. Actually, he didn't have to worry about PJ. Nikita and Olivier on the other hand…

Not finding the two, he headed towards the Armstrong mansion. He remember seeing the two of them land their planes at that particular house. Maybe they headed over there.

Larry approached the house, and heard some noises.

"Nikita!" was heard.

"What's he doing her?" Larry wondered.

Larry found a window, and heard moaning. Lots of it.

 _What the fuck?_ Larry looked thru the window, and almost had his eyes pop out. Olivier as riding Nikita, and the two of them were clearly enjoying it. Larry crouched down, unable to get rid of the image.

 _Great. I'm now scarred for life. Next mission, I'll just let the Belkans kill me. Better than living with that memory in my mind._

Then an idea came into mind. This was the perfect chance to get Intel on the two of them. He ran towards his car, grabbed a camera, and returned to the window, only to not see the duo.

"Fuck." Pixy muttered.

Pixy entered the house, and searched it, looking for the duo. He needed this information. He soon found them, and saw Olivier sodomizing Nikita. Pixy wasted no time filming them.

 _This is a small price to pay. They'll be dead, I'll be with AWWNB and murdering world leaders on a 24/7 basis. This is nothing._


	14. Chapter 14 operation battle-axe

Ch 14 Operation Battle-axe

"Orders have come in for an emergency sortie. A major air engagement is taking place as we speak between Belka and the Allied Forces near the border, in the B7R airspace, which Belka is committed to defend at all costs."

"B7R, commonly known as the 'Round Table', has long been a symbol of Belka's political, military and industrial might. However, at noon today, along with its lightning-quick commencement of Operation Battle-Axe, the Allied Forces officially announced the permanent abrogation of its nonaggression treaty at the Assembly of Nations, and simultaneously attacked B7R with a massive fighter squadron. This mission may be our chance to finally end the Belkan War once and for all. I wish you luck." Olivier said.

The pilots ran towards their aircraft, eager to end the war with Belka. Olivier stayed behind, but had reservations. Were her pilots some of the best in the world, Yes. But that wasn't the problem. With everyone's attention on the round table, it would be easy to overlook something else.

And that something else, could take the form of a Belkan attack, whether by paratroopers, or fighters/bombers. Whatever it was, she had to be prepared.

"Get our anti-air guns ready. I want my F-18 ready for air-to-air combat. Has Osea sent their anti-stealth radar?" Olivier asked.

"No, sir. They haven't. They don't even have it ready for their frontlines. If the Belkans use stealth aircraft, no-one can stop it." An aid said.

Menawhile, the Ustio mercs dove into the fray.

"Incoming message from allied forces HQ. 40% of allied air forces already lost." Eagle Eye said.

"Damn it. There's too many of them! We can't handle them all!"

"Where are the reinforcements?!"

"I've never been in an aerial battle of this scope before." PJ said.

Nikita saw a Belkan MiG shoot down two F-16s, and he gave chase. Acquiring lock, he pulled the trigger, and sent a missile at the Belkan fighter, destroying it

"Still no reinforcements from base. If only they'd get here, we could put an end to this all at once." A Belkan pilot lamented.

PJ chased after a Su-27, only for the Flanker to perform a Pugachevs Cobra, and ended up chasing PJ.

"Nice one, PJ." Nikita muttered, as he was forced to rescue his wingman.

"Do not underestimate them. The Belkan war machine is still strong." Nikita said.

Word soon spread of the Ustio reinforcements.

"IFF confirms its Galm. The reinforcement team is Galm." An Osean pilot said.

"Aw shit. The guy who pulled out the sword is here. Be careful." A Belkan said to his wingman.

"We still gotta get the job done." Pixy said, turning to intercept a MiG-29. When the MiG entered Pixy's crosshairs, he pulled the trigger, and a sidewinder missile blew apart the MiG.

"Splash 1." Pixy smirked.

"Wizard one, the enemy has broken formation. Take them out."

"Larry, can you read me?" Wizard One asked.

"It's happening, just like you said. It's time we got out of this dead end job."

"Not just yet." Larry said, wanting a few more kills.

"Get a good eyeful of this flying! Let it sink in." PJ said, as he outmaneuvered his Belkan opponent.

"Lets blabber across the whole damn area and let the Belkans know where I am. Clever. Really like it." Nikita said.

"Reinforcements still haven't arrived. What is our country doing!?" a Belkan shouted, as he fled before Cipher.

After Nikita killed two more Belkans, Eagle Eye gave a report.

"Nice work. Enemy forces have dropped to under 50%. Just a little more."

"Sorcerer one to all units. That's the Galm and Alchemy team. Watch and learn." Sorcerer one said.

Nikita sighed in frustration. If the Oseans they were sent to help had trained harder and better, than they'd have a greater chance of survival. It's a cancer to rely on others. It gets you soft and weak.

"Galm's not fighting alone. Lets show them what the Osean air-force can do." An Osean pilot boasted.

"Hey cocksucker! Your precious air-force was almost shot out the sky when we got her. You Oseans are the same. All talk, and no fight. Quit boasting, and start shooting!" Nikita retorted.

After Pixy shot down a Su-37, the Belkans were losing cohesion.

"The commander's plane is gone! Confirm out chain of command!"

"They're attacking without mercy! Do they plan on destroying everything?"

As the allied forces watched the battle turn into their favor, an Ustian pilot made a remark about Cipher.

"That kind of a pilot. They call a demon lord."

"Wizard one to all units. Belka's days are over. Lets finish this up."

"I fight for peace. That's what I'm up here for." PJ said.

"While you're fighting for 'peace', tons of blood is being shed on the ground. Some peace, kid." Pixy retorted. Nikita had to agree with Pixy.

"And I'm here to put an end to it." PJ said.

"You think you can stop bloodshed by shedding more blood? Flying with all those ideals swimming in your head is gonna get you killed." Pixy said.

"How the hell did PJ survive this long? He should be dead, considering he's oblivious to the fact we're in a fucking war." Nikita said.

"Galm team, multiple craft approaching! Something's wrong… stay alert." Eagle Eye said.

8 MiG-31 Foxhounds appeared on the battlefield, chasing after a pilot called Huckebein.

"That plane, is that the Vulture?" Pixy asked.

"There's an annoying fly in the enemy. All right, change of plans. We'll deal with the escapee craft later."

"Guess they've come to pick on the dead again." Pixy said.

"Pixy, who are they?" Nikita asked.

"The Schwarze squadron. Their commissioned as escape killers. If you're branded a traitor, they go after you." Pixy said.

Nikita moved to intercept Huckebein, while everyone else fought against the Schwarze squadron.

Nikita looked on his radar, and saw 3 planes chasing each other. Looking up, he saw an Su-47 chasing an F-14D, which was chasing a MiG 21.

"That Huckebein is flying real strange. I wonder why." Pixy said.

Nikita witnessed the Su-47 fire its missiles, and brought down both the F-14 and the MiG 21. Knowing he was next, Nikita locked onto the Su-47, and fired his last missile. The missile tore into the Berkut and brought it down.

"Guys, I'm Winchester on ammo. Returning to base." Nikita said.

"Copy that. We're almost done with the Vultures." Pixy said.

Little did Nikita know, the 3 planes he just saw had pilots who would play pivotal roles in the next war. The F-14 carried Jack Bartlett. The MiG-21 carried Peter N. Beagle. And the Su-47 carried Ashely Bernitz.

"The demon lord born of the round table." An allied pilot said.

"The demon lord of Ustio." Another said.

"What's going on, over their?" Nikita asked, crossing the border into Usito territory.

"The battle's over. We shot down every single Belkan fighter in the area. The round table is ours." PJ said.

"That's a relief. See you back at base." Nikita said.

"Yo buddy. You still alive?" Pixy asked.

"Yeah. Still alive." Cipher said, heavily breathing.


	15. Chapter 15 the inferno

Ch 15 the inferno

At the dead of night, Olivier had the pilots in the briefing room. Everyone struggled to stay awake.

"The Belkan forces are beginning to take flight. The industrial city of Hoffnung is crucial to the enemy's industrial strategy and the heart of it's war productions. The allied forces has decided that all Belkan war production must be stopped to expedite the end of the war, and has requested our participation in this operation. The operation will primarily involve the bombing of ground facilities by the Allied forces' bombers. Your mission is to support those bombers and attack enemy facilities. We have achieved near total air supremacy over the target area, but don't let your guard down. There may still be sporadic resistance."

"Hey Nikita, you think this will help end the war?" PJ asked.

"It better. If not, we'll hit Belka with nuclear weapons as well." Nikita spat.

"Nikita, PJ, wait here for a second." Olivier said.

"Sir?" Nikita asked.

"We just received a Tu-160 from Yuktobania. They want it tested, so I'm having you two fly it this mission. Should be perfect." Olivier said.

"We're fighter pilots. Not bomber pilots." PJ said.

"The Blackjack handles like a fighter jet, despite its size and weight. You'll get the hang of it." Olivier said.

Upon seeing the Yuke bomber, they were in awe of its massive size.

"Damn. Can't believe the Yukes made that." PJ said.

"Believe it. Yuktobania has some incredible shit. I call shotgun!" Nikita said.

"Fuck." PJ muttered.

Sitting inside, they saw that the flight control was in the form of a stick, much like a fighter jet, instead of a wheel, like the older bombers did.

"Lets rock and roll." Nikita said, as he started the engines, and accelerated down the runway.

Hoffnung, Belka

"Galm 2 to all units. I confirmed a burning city up ahead."

"That must mean the bombing's started." PJ said.

"Lets move." Galm 2 said.

"Cover the allied bombers. Eliminate all threats." Eagle Eye said.

Nikita dove towards the first part of the city, and drop some Napalm bombs on the factories.

"What the hell are you doing?" PJ asked.

As quick as lightning, Nikita pulled out his Python revolver, and put it to PJ's head.

"Ending this war, that's what I'm doing." Nikita emphasized.

"To all bombers. Remove Belka's ability to counterattack. Priority is placed on destruction over accuracy." The lead allied bomber reported.

"Amen to that." Nikita muttered.

"Initiate bombing sequence. Drop them all."

"That's not enough. Turn them to ashes. Drop more bombs!"

"I thought this was supposed to be a precision bombing run. Their just tossing bombs all over the place." PJ said.

"It's hard to be precise when you're dropping fuel and napalm bombs." Nikita said, as he flattened some factories and a section of road under napalm. Putting the next set of targets into the computer, he pulled the trigger, and 3 air-to-ground tomahawk missiles flew from the bomber, and into the ground.

The Belkans were quickly in a panic, as various soldiers begged for orders, when none came.

"We're surrounded by flames here! Headquarters, requesting orders!"

Nikita yawed the bomber left, and dropped shrapnel bombs on more factories and other buildings. As they watched, the Belkans started to run.

"I'm out of here. The damage is to severe."

Suddenly, their headset began to sing, as an enemy SAM fired at them.

"Shit, flares!" Nikita said, as he dumped flares, and accelerated to avoid the missile.

"A tomahawk just hit the city. Are those guys serious?" PJ asked.

"This is PJ. Something's wrong down there. The number of burning areas is starting to increase."

The Belkan command gave one final order, in a desperate hysteria.

"Inform all units. This is an order from operations HQ. 'Abandon Hoffnung! However, do not retreat until all facilities are destroyed. Leave them nothing.' That is all."

"Abandon Hoffnung?" PJ asked.

"It means abandon hope." Pixy said.

Nikita continued the onslaught against the Belkans, including bombing an entire neighborhood block with his deadly payload.

"The Belkans are setting fire to their own…" PJ said.

"A bomb has hit sector C. It's gonna set off the fuel!" a factory worker yelled, as the bomb detonated, killing him, and anyone else the fuel touched.

"Burn down the entire city! Set fire to the buildings on your way out! Leave them nothing!" a Belkan soldier yelled, as the entire city was being engulfed in flames, from both sides.

"So this is the price we pay for loosing." A Belkan pilot lamented.

"Yeah. Isn't payback a bitch?" Cipher taunted.

A factory manager protested as Belkan soldiers set explosives to destroy the building.

"This isn't a weapons factory. What are you doing?" he shouted, as 4 bombs hit the factory and destroyed it.

"Sector 3 is destroyed. Our troops are in a panic." A Belkan commander said.

"Even Hoffnung has fallen. What has become of our mighty air force?" A Belkan pilot asked, even as he dog fighted with the Galm team.

"Hoffnung has fallen to the allied forces." A Belkan said, as he climbed into a transport plane, on for it to get shot down.

"Release all bombs before you get shot down." A pilot from an allied bomber said.

By this point, not much was left of Hoffnung. A dark cloud of smoke filled the air, and the fires could be seen all over the place.

Nikita's radar told him that some factories and other buildings were still standing. Flying overhead, he dropped a few more bombs, and watched as they hit their mark, thanks to the GPS system.

"All facilities in the main sector have been destroyed! Damn those allied forces!" a factory worked exclaimed.

The allied bombers continued their path of destruction, not bothered by any resistance.

"Move to the left, then drop the payload."

"The flames are spreading. Belka's city is gonna burn to the ground."

But the few Belkan units still in Hoffnung were adamant on defending it.

"They got bombers up there. Fire. Fire away."

PJ couldn't handle it any longer, and protested to the constant destruction.

"The city's going up in flames!" He said.

"Learn to accept it kid. This is war." Pixy said, not bothered at the moment.

"You expect me to believe that arson and indiscriminate bombing is war?" PJ asked, surprised.

"There's no mercy in war. It's a collision of powers." Pixy retorted.

"Even war has a set of rules to follow." PJ said, but it fell on deaf ears, for everyone wanted to see Hoffnung burn.

Enemy stealth fighters appeared, and started to shoot down the Ustio bombers, or would have, if it wasn't for the defense the Ustio mercenaries gave.

In a few minutes, the fight was over. All Belkans were killed, and the city was covered by a sea of fire and smoke.

"Ignore the civilians. Our priority is withdrawing the troops from the area." A Belkan said, as the last of the Belkan forces left.

"Abandon block D. Join up with 5th company from block C."

"Don't leave anything behind for the allied forces."

"Mission objective fulfilled. All units, return to base." Eagle Eye said.

As Pixy flew over the city, he muttered one sentence.

"Damn them all…"

Didn't take long for the Belkan high command to learn about Hoffnung.

"The enemy has broken thru a wide front. They're in a position to launch a pincer move and encircle our armies, or to launch a massive forwards thrust and also crush our armies." General Krebs said, pointing on a map.

"Don't worry. Steiner and his forces have stopped them at the round table." The failure said.

"My failure, Steiner…" Krebs said.

"Steiner and his forces were completely destroyed at the round table. We've lost a good percentage of the air-force, and the allies have burned Hoffnung to the ground. Literally. Nothing left. Not even ashes and dust." Jodl said.

Visibly disturbed, the failure took off his glasses and said the following.

"The following will stay. Jodl, Keitel, Krebs, and Burgdorf." He said.

With those 4 left, the failure went on a rant.

"That plan was foolproof! That plan was foolproof! How did the allied forces obtained knowledge of the attack? So this is what it's been coming to. The military has lied to me! Even the SS and Special Forces have lied. Our generals are lying despicable cowards!"

"I cannot permit you to insult the soldiers. It's not their fault." Burgdorf countered.

"Not their fault? They probably sabotaged Excalibur, and the defenses at Hoffnung!" the failure ranted.

"My failure, this is outrageous!" Burgdorf continued.

"Our general are the scum of the Belkan people." The failure yelled, before throwing his pencils at the table. "I've been betrayed!"

"They call themselves general, and years at the military academy have done nothing to help them lead. The military has hindered my plans, and has been infiltrated by the scum of capitalism and communism. What I should have done, is liquidate half the officer corps and all the high ranking officers, LIKE YUKTOBANIA! That's why they're winning. They got rid of all the shitty officers. I didn't go to the academy, and yet at the beginning of the war, I took parts of Sapin, Osea, and all of Ustio. I have also took chunks of Fato. Traitors. They've been working against me from the very beginning! They persuaded me from using nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons against our enemies, which if used, would have ensured our victory in the war. But no. Now we're losing. But they will pay. With their own blood. I will drop atomic weapons on Waldreich Mountains to stop the allied forces!" the failure said, finishing one hell of a rant.

After a few silent and tense seconds, the failures spoke again, this time quieter and calmer.

"My orders have fallen on deaf ears. I am no longer capable of leading the country of Belka. It's over. The war is lost. But if you think I'm gonna simply surrender to the allied forces, I'd rather blow my brains out." The failure said, snarling the last part. "Do as you wish."

Later, the general talked about the failure's plan to use atomic weapons on their own soil to stop the allied advance.

"The failure has lost all sense of reality. He plans on using our own nuclear weapons to stop the allies. This won't stop them. It'll be Hoffnung on a national scale. Belka will be literally blown off the map." Jodl said.

"Why didn't you tell him that?" Fegelein asked.

"The failure doesn't listen to reason." Keitel said.

"We have to do something." Fegelein said.

Jodl turned around and declared an action.

"We have to stop the fuhrer from using atomics weapons on anyone."

"How do you propose to do that?" Fegelein asked.

"We got MiG-31 interceptors in storage. I'll lead a group of loyal pilots to shoot down the bombers before they can drop the bombs." Jodl said.

"And I suppose you want me to help you." Fegelein said.

"Of course you should. The failure has gone mad. At least in the air, you'll have a chance to escape to freedom, like Wolfgang Buchner did." Burgdorf said.


	16. Chapter 16 the stage of the apocalypse

Ch 16 the stage of the apocalypse

"There are still pockets of resistance holed up in the industrial city of Sudentor. Although fleeing, the Belkan army continues to fight back, and is using the Waldreich Mountains as a final line of defense in an attempt to prevent our forces from reaching northern Belka. For this mission, we would like you to assist the allied ground troops, by clearing the skies of enemy fighters."

"The South Belkan munitions factory is located in Sudentor, which means that the Belkan troops, although few in numbers, are will supplied. Head to the designated operations rendezvous location at point 203."

The pilots headed towards their fighter jets, many wondering why the Belkans were still fighting. Nikita knew why. They were bent on holding their territory, no matter the costs. Nikita had to respect the Belkans for that. They were fighting real hard for their country, although it was now in vain. It would be better if they would just surrender. A lot of good lives would be spared.

Waldreich Mountains, southern Belka

"Hey PJ, you gonna get remarried to your girl?" an Ustio pilot asked.

"We're both getting married for the first time." PJ said.

"Crow team, do you read me? Head to Waldreich to take out any remnant positions the Belkans may have set up." Eagle Eye said.

"Galm two, what's the problem, you're behind." Eagle Eye said.

"Don't worry, I'll catch up." Pixy said.

"This is PJ from alchemy team. Pixy, is something wrong with your craft?" PJ asked.

"I'm just sad." Pixy scathingly said.

Eagle Eye told the pilots disturbing news.

"Emergency transmission from allied command. A Belkan bomber squadron equipped with nuclear weapons has taken off for Ustio." He said.

"What?" Nikita asked.

"You got to be kidding me." Cipher said.

"Enemy bombers are approaching this airspace. Galm team, Crow team, Alchemy team, move to intercept." Eagle Eye said.

"Crow 1, roger."

"Crow 2, moving to engage everything."

"I'll stop them." PJ said.

"This war would end if they just blew everything up." Pixy sinisterly said.

"We can't let them use those nukes." PJ said.

Both forces closed the distance, the Belkans wanting to break thru, the Ustians wanting to prevent them.

"I see them. Enemy fighters with nukes!" PJ said.

And there was a lot of them. 10 BM-355 bombers with 19 F-15E escorts.

"Shit." Nikita said. This would be a harsh battle.

Cipher dove head first and shot down a bomber. Nikita covered his six by shooting down an F-15 that was about to intercept him.

Moving his head, he kept his eye on a group of 5 Belkan bombers, with heavy fighter escorts.

"We must carry out our duty." A Belkan said.

"And what might that be?" Nikita asked, wondering if the Belkan high command had truly lost it.

Lining up, he fired his missiles in one large salvo. The bombers were shot down, and a fighter was also brought down.

"Two, planes. No. three planes are down. But this has no bearing on our plans." A Belkan pilot said.

Then the nukes are somewhere. They would have to shoot down every Belkan aircraft to neutralize the threat.

"There are too many of them. Eagle Eye, please identify the craft with nuclear weapons." PJ said.

"You'll have to shoot all of them down. To all units in this airspace. Stop the nuclear attack. Shoot down all Belkan bombers." Eagle Eye said.

8 MiG 31 interceptors entered the airspace, unopposed, as the Ustio pilots were busy trying to stop the Belkan bombers. The fighter escorts weren't making easy.

"Warning, change course immediately. Return to base or you will be shot down." A Belkan voice said.

"What was that?" Cipher asked.

"Doesn't matter. Shoot down the bombers." Eagle Eye said.

PJ witnessed the MiG 31's open fire on the Belkan bombers, taking down one of them.

"They're attacking each other?" PJ asked, surprised.

"Eliminate anyone who attemps to interfere." The lead Foxbat pilot ordered.

"They're no longer our allies. Don't hesitate to shoot them down."

"Don't worry about that now. Just concentrate on shooting down the Belkan bombers." Eagle Eye said.

The arrival and attacks of the MiG 31s proved to be a blessing to the Ustio pilots. Now they were able to shoot down the bombers and their eagle escorts with no problem.

"This is perfect. Lets use it against them!" Crow 1 said.

"Take them out while they're still confused." Crow 2 joined.

"Do they intend to wipe our homeland of the map? That's crazy!" a Belkan separatist said, as he lined up behind a Belkan bomber, and shot it down. Unfortunately for him, He was shot down by Nikita.

"If we even miss one of those bombers, we lose." Eagle Eye said, stressing the importance of their situation.

"Don't worry. We're almost done here." Cipher said.

He quickly shot down the last Belkan bomber, ending the nuclear threat.

"All planes confirmed down. We did it!" PJ exclaimed.

"There's no impossible job for us mercenaries!" Crow 1 said.

"Read them and weep, Belkans." Crow 2 spat.

"What the…" PJ said, seeing something.

A whistling noise was heard, and then a loud crack. Nikita looked at his instruments, and none of them were working. Even the HUD was down.

"Shit." He said, flipping several switches.

A loud thundering noise was heard, and the sky violently shook.

"This is Eagle Eye. All teams, damage report!"

"This is PJ. Negative! Unable to confirm the situation!" PJ said, struggling to control his jet.

"What the hell is going on here?" Crow 2 asked.

"Damn it! My gauges are malfunctioning." Crow 1 said.

Nikita finally managed to regain control of his Fulcrum, and got several gauges working again. But the HUD wasn't working. It was still offline. And he only had his nose gun. His missiles were used up fighting the Belkans.

"What was that light? Am I alright!?" PJ asked.

The pilots were disoriented, and terrified. Belka had detonated a nuclear weapon. Shooting down all those bombers had been for naught.

"Larry, can you read me?" Wizard one said. "Your fairy godmother's here, Cinderella."

"How can you say that, after what just happened?" Larry asked, in shock.

Laughing, Wizard one continued talking.

"Today's your lucky day, Larry. Like your birthday."

"And you're here to pull me off in a magical carriage. To hell I suppose." Larry replied.

Larry flew behind Cipher, and armed his guns.

"Buddy. I found a reason to fight." Pixy said, firing his guns at Cipher.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Cipher shouted, as he pulled away from his former wingman, turned enemy.

"Galm two, what are you doing? That's not the enemy. Cease fire!" Eagle Eye ordered. But Larry refused to listen.

"Repeat! Galm 2, cease your attack on our unit at once!"

"Warning! Enemy reinforcements incoming!" Eagle Eye said. Only Cipher, PJ, and Nikita were in conditions to fight. Everyone was fled back to base.

"Reinforcements? From what squadron?" PJ asked, as 6 Su-27s appeared.

Cipher pulled up and fired his last missiles. 2 Flankers were shot down, and the remaining for broke away from them.

Nikita chased one, and fired his guns.

"Damn. This is shit." Nikita growled, as he pulled back on the control stick, still firing his guns. Finally, the Belkan jet was brought down.

"What is Belka thinking?" PJ asked.

"They're screwed up. That's why." Cipher said.

"Galm 2 is leaving the combat airspace. Pixy, what's going on? Respond!" Eagle Eye said.

With the Belkan fighters destroyed, Pixy spoke one last time to Cipher.

"This is where we go our separate ways." He said.

"All enemy planes are down. Return to base. They've gone insane." Eagle Eye said, horrified at what the Belkans did.

Directus, Ustio

Olivier had some time to appear to the news, as she was elected to be the Ustio president. Although, she would rather be back at Valais air base.

"Guys, you have to look at this." Someone said, turning on a TV, and turning up the volume.

The TV screen showed several large mushroom clouds, the signs of a nuclear explosion.

"Multiple nuclear explosions have been verified within the Belkan border, at the Waldriech mountain ranges. No word on casualties yet…"

Olivier sharply gasped. Ustio's best combat pilots were at Waldriech Mountain. If they were caught in the explosions…

Olivier headed back to Valais, just as the fighters returned from their mission. She counted them, and saw one was missing.

The pilots climbed out, and walked towards the kitchen. They all had shell shocked looks, and it was more of a line of zombies walking towards the kitchen, then a group of battle hardened pilots.

No one spoke. There was no need to. Everyone was stunned by the Belkan attack. Using nuclear weapons. Against your enemy, detonating it on their soil was bad enough. But to use it on your own territory, on your own people? There was no known word in the world dictionary to explain it.

"Where's Pixy?" Olivier asked.

"He left." Nikita said, not meeting Olivier's gaze.

"What do you mean?" Olivier asked.

"After the nuclear attacks, he just snapped, and started firing at Cipher. Belkan fighters appeared, and he fled as fast as he could." PJ said.

"Shit. This just made my situation worse." Olivier said.

"What do you mean?" Nikita asked.

"I'm been elected president of Ustio. How the hell am I going to explain to the people about this?" Olivier asked.

"The Belkans detonated the bombs. We didn't." Nikita said.

Mt. Schirm, Belka

Pixy and Wizard one landed at the airship, next to a large hanger. An experimental bomber was in there, about to take off.

"You got the Intel we need?" Anton asked.

"I wouldn't call it Intel. It's best if you see it." Larry said.

The two boarded the XB-0 bomber, and the giant aircraft lifted into the skies. Anton briefed Larry about the future plans of AWWNB.

"We've gathered many soldiers and supports from the warring countries. Osea, Yuktobania, Belka, etc. We got a naval fleet in Afnang, and we've taken over the Avalon Dam. Thanks to Belka, it's already loaded with an ICBM. Now tell me about this Intel you've got." Anton said.

Larry sighed. He knew this wouldn't fly with Anton.

The two watched the footage Larry took of Olivier and Nikita having sex in the Armstrong mansion. After a few minutes of watching the two in various positions, some of it grotesque, Anton spoke.

"Congratulations, Larry. You just risked your life to give us some porn. And it isn't even descent." Anton said.

"You're missing one thing. The women is General Olivier Armstrong. He is Nikita Bordin, the highest scoring Yuke pilot in the war. He's very good. Only me and Cipher are better than him." Pixy said.

"And how does this help us?" Anton asked.

"Lets say we lure Nikita into a dogfight, and kill him. Olivier will be shocked that her lover is dead."

"Or she'll be pissed, and throw nuclear and other WMD's at us. Well, we didn't expect to get any Intel on our enemies, at least nothing to concrete. But that's not a problem. Word is that the warring powers will be meeting in Lumen for the peace talks. We'll kill all of them in one blow." Anton said.


	17. Chapter 17 lying in deceit

Ch 17 lying in deceit

The pilots once again gathered to be briefed on their next mission. Olivier looked at the group of Ustio pilots. Many were tired of the war, and just wanted it to end. She couldn't blame them.

"We have discovered remaining enemy troops gathered in the Yering Mine area, in northwest Belka. Numerous divisions of the Belkan army refuse to accept the change in government and are disobeying orders to disband. Your mission is to clear out the remaining Belkan troops. And if the reports are accurate, there are a lot of them. The Heierlark base, located in Osean territory, has been arranged for your refueling and rearming. To compensate for the losses in Galm team, Alchemy team will be absorbed into Galm team. We're counting on your best performance yet." Olivier said.

The pilots scrambled their fighters, and headed towards the Belkan mine.

"PJ, you'll be Galm 2. Nikita, you'll be Galm 3. Time to kill Belkans." Cipher said.

"Damn straight. I'll be glad when this war is over." Nikita said.

"There's a lot of them." Nikita said, skimming the ground.

"Fox 2." Cipher said, downing a MiG 21.

The Belkans must have been getting desperate to use MiG 21s. They were hopelessly obsolete.

Nikita got behind one, and fired a missile. The MiG attempted to shake it off, but was quickly shot down.

"This is where the fun begins." Nikita said, strafing the various Belkan ground targets.

The Belkan were highly spread out, and fought with everything they had.

"Damn mercenary! Haven't you killed enough already?" a Belkan yelled.

"Not until this war is over." Nikita muttered, firing a rocket into a Belkan AA gun.

"These guys are well trained. They are a well-disciplined group." PJ said.

"No shit. It's the Belkan army for Christ's sake." Cipher said.

Nikita and PJ followed their radar, and saw a large amount of Belkan troop positions, along with many storage units. They must be getting to the headquarters of this remnant.

"Why would a place like that have such a large amount of armaments?" PJ asked.

"To keep fighting us you dumbass." Nikita said, dropping his bombs on the Belkans, killing the majority of them.

As the Ustio pilots cleared away the Belkan positions and came closer to the main group, the Belkans were beginning to bug out.

"It's nothing to worry about. Drop the partitions!"

Flying admist heavy anti-air fire, Nikita saw a large hanger.

"The fuck is that?" he asked, only to break hard left when a missile came from behind.

Looking behind him, he saw a MiG 21 chase after him, but PJ quickly shot him down.

"Thanks PJ. I owe you one." Nikita said.

As Nikita and PJ entered a dogfight with the MiG 21s, Nikita heard something on the Belkan freq.

"Transfer is complete to number 6. The rest will be done soon."

"What the hell are they transferring?" Nikita muttered, as he tightly turned his Fulcrum to get an edge over the MiGs.

"Whatever it is, must be important." Cipher said.

"That is one huge facility." PJ said, looking at the now abandoned air base, with an enormous hanger.

Nikita and Cipher made quick work of the ground forces guarded the base. The few transport planes on the runway quickly took off, without any fighter cover.

"What's going on down there?" PJ asked.

The Belkans desperately attempted to get all the supplies away from the base. But transport ships were being bombed to the ocean floor, and Cipher bombed the giant hanger until it caved in on itself.

"I see them. Enemy transports fleeing the airspace." Nikita said.

Nikita accelerated to catch up with them. Lining up, he fired his guns, and shot down transport after transport.

"Our deaths will guarantee that the operation is carried out successfully." A Belkan said, as his C5 crashed into the ground.

"What operation is he talking about?" Nikita muttered.

"Good work, Galm team. All targets have been neutralized. Return to base." Eagle Eye said.

Returning to base, the pilots were visibly happier than when they left. It seemed that the war would finally come to an end.

"So, any idea what that giant hanger was for?" PJ asked.

"Don't know. But it could have been used for storage, repair, spare parts, etc. Doesn't matter now." Nikita said.


	18. Chapter 18 the final overture

Ch 18 the final overture

The pilots were once again called to fight the Belkan resistance. Many believed that the war would last forever, even with the peace signing event in Lumen going on.

"This war will never end. We might as well crate Belka with nukes." Cipher said.

"There's a peace conference going on in Lumen right now. I think it will end." PJ said.

"Let me give you some advice. It's bullshit. All of it." Nikita said.

"Listen up. We've received word that remaining Belkan troops are converging on Belka's north east boarder, near Afnang. The enemy is deploying land, sea, and air forces. These troops are refusing to accept the Belkan interim government's official capitulation, and are adamantly resisting." Olivier said.

"Jesus Christ. Should have nuked the bastards." A pilot muttered.

"In light of the current political situation, this mission will a top-secret operation carried out entirely by mercenaries. The mission will be called operation Broom, and will be divided into three sections."

"The Mars strike team will attack enemy naval vessels and surface troops along the coast. The Mercury strike team will engage land units and enemy fighters that are using a tunnel as a makeshift base. The Jupiter strike team will be responsible for maintaining air superiority after the Mars and Mercury teams have completed their objectives."

"This operation will start at 1600, when the capitulation ceremony takes place in Lumen. Mars team will strike first, followed by Mercury, then Jupiter. Choose carefully which team you wish to join. That is all." Olivier said.

"As much as I'd like to join you in the fray, as acting president of Ustio, I have to go to Lumen for the ceremony. Godspeed." Olivier said, dismissing the pilots.

"So what operation are you joining?" Cipher asked.

"Mars. I've outfitted my MiG for anti-ship operations. First time for everything." Nikita said.

"Man, I can't believe the Belkans are still fighting. But after this, they'll have no more forces left to fight with. And then we can go home." PJ said.

"You're still being bullshitted. Get it through your thick skull. This war will never end. Not for a long damn while." Nikita said.

Anfang, Belka

"Galm team, take out Belka's remnant forces assembled at the coastline." Eagle Eye said.

"I wish I could adapt to the flow of battle, like Cipher. I'll do my best." PJ said.

"Don't worry, Patrick. You're still alive after all we've been thru. Don't count yourself out." Cipher said.

Nikita zoomed overhead the fleet and drew anti-air fire, leaving Cipher and Pixy to attack them. Skimming the ocean, he fired an anti-ship missile towards a cruiser. The missile slammed into the cruiser, destroying it with one blow.

"We're hit, and taking on water!" the captain shouted.

Meanwhile, the radio broadcasted the situation at Lumen.

"We're broadcasting live here from the ceremony here in Lumen." An announcer said.

"Funny. They're broadcasting peace, while we pilots are still at war. Some peace." Nikita said.

"You said it. This won't be the last battle between us and Belka." Cipher said.

"Senior officials from each nation have come here in hopes of a peaceful solution."

Cipher snorted. In all his time as a merc, such peace talks have only led to more wars and conflict. These talks would only by the countries more time to regroup and prepare for another war.

"I'm gonna put an end to this war." PJ said.

"You're only one person. Flying with those ideas will get you killed." Nikita said, as he continued to sink enemy warships.

"What are the enemy's capabilities? Look into it and report back to me." A Belkan said.

"Here's our capability!" Nikita shouted, as he fired another anti-ship missile, and sunk a destroyer in the process.

Cipher rolled his Eagle and accelerated from a mass of missile boats, whose crewmembers were firing guided RPGs at the mercs.

"Those missile boats are starting to piss me off." Cipher said.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." Nikita said.

While the boats were distracted by Cipher, they failed to notice Nikita diving on them. Firing his guns, he quickly laid waste to the unarmored boats.

"Shoot down those insolent little flies." A Belkan captain said, looking at the radar screen, and seeing the Galm team approaching the Belkan fleet.

Nikita locked on and fired his third anti-ship missile.

"I'm running low on missiles. Give me a hand." Nikita said, as he buzzed the bridge of a destroyer.

"We're sinking! Abandon ship. Youngest to oldest!" a captain ordered.

"Now that's a strange order. Youngest to oldest." Cipher commented.

"Today's signatures will ratify an agreement which calls for the disarmament of Belka." The announcer said.

"You can thank us Mercs. We're already disarming Belka by force, not by pen." Another merc said.

"Belka's military forces will be reduced. And tensions with neighboring countries will come to an end." The announcer continued.

"You know what really bugs me?" Cipher asked.

"What?" PJ asked.

"When all is said and done, the history books will say what happened here, was that the Belkan troops scuttled their ships and destroyed their weapons. It won't mention that we mercs had to do the job, because the Belkans were too stubborn to comply." Cipher said.

"I hear ya. Since we're on a black ops mission, no one is supposed to know about this. They'll just toss us aside to the ash heap." Nikita said.

"The agreement will be covered in detail at a later broadcast."

"Make them cancel the radio cease-fire radio announcement!" A Belkan said, not wanting to believe it.

"According to our sources, the agreement also touches on the possession of nuclear armaments."

Nikita rolled his eyes. If someone wanted to get a hold of a nuke, they get the warhead from the black market, or just simple plutonium. This treaty wasn't going to do much in the long run.

"Nevertheless. The great war that has enveloped the eastern countries, and cost the lives of so many has finally come to an end." The announcer said.

"Yeah. No thanks to us. Funny how life is. We're killing the last of Belka's military, while the politicians squabble over who gets Belka. And they'll get the credit for ending the war." Nikita said, firing his air-to-ship missiles at various ground targets on the coast.

"This battle should put an end to the war." PJ said.

"Yeah. It'll end, because Belka will no longer be able to fight. Pull your ass out of your face." Cpiher replied.

"They still have a lot of firepower left." PJ warned.

"No shit. So the war isn't over yet, is it?" Nikita asked.

"Nope. Those nukes didn't solve anything." PJ said.

"No shit. Hopefully we can get rid of them. No longer having to sleep in fear of a nuclear attack by Osea or Belka." Nikita said.

"How would Pixy fly in this battle?" PJ wondered.

"He'd probably have some cynical remark about this operation, the peace treaty in Lumen, and your naïve ideology." Nikita said.

"That's about it." Cipher said.

As the Ustio pilots traded shots with the Belkan ground units, Pixy knew something was wrong. This battle should have been over a while ago. This wasn't no remnant force.

"This is Galm 2. Something's wrong. There's too many to be remnant forces." PJ said.

"You're right on that. They're fighting just as hard as in the start of the war. If not more so." Cipher said, as he fired his rockets into a line of anti-air vehicles.

"We'll decide when this war ends. And now is not the time!" a Belkan said, defiant to the end.

"The war is over. What are you doing?" PJ asked.

"We haven't lost yet. It's still not over. In fact, we're just getting started." The Belkan said.

"Your entire military is gone. Even if you amassed supplies and weapons from the battlefields, you don't have enough soldiers to continue fighting. It's suicide." Nikita said.

"Why are they still fighting? Why don't they understand?" PJ asked.

"Don't know. I quit trying to understand the Belkans after they dropped those nukes. Just kill them and get it over with." Cipher said.

After more bloody shootouts between the Belkans and Ustians, the battle finally ended.

"Enemy ground forces have been defeated. All ground threats are gone." Eagle Eye said.

"Today, is a day of hope. A day in which tension between different countries will be greatly reduced." The announcer said.

But to the merc pilots, it didn't mean thing, because PJ had the right news.

"This… this is no remnant force. This war is still not over yet." He said.

Lumen, Osean/Belkan boarder.

While the Ustio mercenary pilots fought to the death against the remmant Belkans, the peace ceremony went as planned.

Olivier was there, representing the republic of Ustio.

"Here are my terms. Ustio gets all weapons from Belka. They attacked us first, and almost took over the entire country. I want my country to be strong and power. Enough to resist any attack by other countries." Olivier said.

"Ms. Armstrong, that is a very difficult thing. We're here to end, the war, not begin another war." The Osean delegate said.

"Let me tell you something. Speak softly, and carry a big stick. If you wish for peace, prepare for war. I'm not gonna leave my country defenseless, only relying on the words of some politician, saying their country will protect ours. Hell, where was the mighty Osean military when all of Ustio was about to fall, save only Valais air base. Osea sent nothing. We had to rely on mercenary pilots. Hell, Yuktobania did more to help us. They sent us pilots and fighter jets at the beginning of the war. If Ustio doesn't get the weapons from Belka, Ustio will form an alliance with Yuktobania." Olivier said.

"I concur!" the Yuketobanian representative said, taking this opportunity to snide his Osean rival.

The Osean delegate sat down in defeat. Ustio had some of the best combat pilots the world, taking the number one spot, since the Belkan air-force as no more. And Olivier said she'd align with Yuketobania, Osea's rival.

Olivier sneered at the Osean delegate.

"Words have no meaning, unless you can back it up." She said.


	19. Chapter 19 the talon of ruin

Ch 19 the talon of ruin

"Finally, it's over." Olivier said.

She left the conference building at Lumen, and went over the end results of the constant bickering. Belka was greatly reduced in every which way. Ustio got large quantities of the Belkan armaments, and had an agreement with Yuketobania, in that they'd support each other any way they can. Osea took over Southern Belka, and all the supplies and materials that were found in there.

Finally, it seemed like peace would arrive. However, it was not to be. As she headed towards her car to head back to Ustio, she heard a loud rumbling noise. Initially she dismissed it as military jets from the Osean air force on routine patrol. But the noise grew louder. A dark shadow covered the land.

Looking up, she saw a giant bomber, covered with markings from the Belkan air-force.

"No." she said. The Belkan's were still fighting. The large bomber opened its bay doors, and dropped multiple bombs, and also fired it's extremely heavy caliber anti-tank guns, destroying anything in its path.

The shockwave tossed Olivier aside. She watched as the monstrous bomber flew overhead unopposed. It destroyed everything in sight. She ran back to the conference building, and saw it was nothing but rubble. The screams and groans of the dying perforated her ears. People were screaming for help, but none would come.

Olivier ran towards a motorcycle and started it. She raced towards Valais air-base, knowing that the Galm team was the only unit capable of intercepting and bringing this super-bomber down. She only hoped Valais would see it in time, and scramble fighters to down it. Before it was too late.

Valais air-base, Ustio

Cipher has the pilots assembled in the briefing room. Since Olivier was gone, he took charge of the briefing.

"Listen up. The top officers in the Belkan army have pulled a coup de 'tat. Calling their organization, a world with no boundaries, the forces bombed the city of Lumen, where the cessation of hostilities treaty was signed, using a giant gunship codename XB-0. Our mission is to…" Cipher said, before the alarms rang.

"Shit. The bastards are here! Everyone, get to your fighters! Scramble everything!" Cipher ordered.

The pilots ran in a hurry towards their fighters. Valais hasn't been attacked since the start of the war.

"Any idea what it is?" PJ asked.

"I'm betting it's the XB-0." Cipher said.

The planes lined up on the runway, waiting for the order to take off. But it was too late.

"Warning! Heavy ECM!" the control tower warned, temporarily shutting down the defenses at Valais. "We're now on code one alert!"

The air raid sirens blared, and everyone looked as the few working anti-air guns open fired on the XB-0, not even scratching it.

"My god." Niktia said, seeing just how large the gunship was.

"This is Galm 2! Control tower! Situation report!" PJ said.

"Unidentified craft entering our airspace. Here they come!" a radar operator said.

"They're the ones that attacked Lumen. They're going after the runway!"

The XB-0 made one run against Valais, and took out the main runway, stranding the planes there.

"Direct hit on runway! We can't take off!" PJ said.

"Use runway number 2." Eagle Eye advised.

"It can even be the Galm team. Send them up."

Nikita, Cipher, and PJ accelerated down number 2 runway, and took off from the damaged base, moving to intercept the Belkan bomber.

Nikita heard on the radio something about lots of wounded on the base. He gripped the control stick of his MiG-29. The Belkans were gonna pay.

"Ground zero. No signs of life." PJ said, as they flew over the Waldriech Mountains, seeing the aftermath of the nuclear detonations.

"My god." Cipher said.

"Our base has suffered extensive damage. Galm team, it's up to you!" Eagle Eye said.

"Warning. Unknown craft on radar."

"We're going in battle. Eagle Eye, wish us luck." PJ said.

As they approached, two unknown fighters moved to intercept them. A Rafale M, and an older J35 Draken.

"Espada 1 to Espada 2. It's time to stop the Demon Lord." Espada 1 said.

"This is Espada 2. Roger, lead the way."

"We'll provide back up as well." A Yuketobanian voice said, belonging it Vasili Ilych.

"They're the ones who destroyed our base." PJ said.

"Wait, I recognize that voice. Vasili, what the hell are you doing?" Nikita aside, angry that his former squad mates would betray him.

"Our government is a most bitter hypocrite. They say they're better than the Oseans, but they sent their soldiers to die with no regards to them. They're just like all the other governments. A world with no boundaries is the solution." Pavlov said, flying a Su-34, converted for air-to-air combat.

"Nikita, you know these guys?" Cipher asked, as he and PJ dueled with Espada squadron.

"They were my squadron back in Yuketobania. No longer." Nikita said, as he chased down Vasili, and quickly shot him down.

"Galm squadron, commence the attack on XB-0." Eagle Eye said.

"Espada team. Shoot down those Ustio flies. They're quite an eye sore." The XB-0 pilot said.

"Wait a minute. We're engaged with friendly aircraft! Those are Sapin and Yuketobanian fighters! Ustio 6th air division to Sapin and Yuketobanian fighters. Cease attack immediately." Eagle Eye ordered.

With no answer, Eagle Eye gave the go-ahead.

"All right. I approve the fight against the Sapin and Yuketobanian fighters. Take them down."

"Demon Lord. Does he really think he can win when his only motivation is money?" Espada 1 taunted.

"I doubt it. They're not fighting for a real cause." Julia said. She fired a missile at PJ, but missed.

"Don't worry PJ. I got your back!" Nikita said, as he was forced to shoot down his former wingman.

Nikita heavily breathed, trying to take in the fact that he was killing fellow Yukes. But it had to be done.

"Espada 1, bail out!" Espada 2 shouted. But Espada one was dead.

"Alright. I'll deal with the demon lord on my own." Espada 2 growled. Cipher quickly gunned down Espada 2.

"Both of the Espada team members have been shot down. Those were our aces!" an XB-0 crewmember said.

"XB-0 will be out of combat airspace in 20 minutes. Move it!" Eagle Eye urged.

"Cipher, PJ, take care of the XB-0. I'll finish off my squadron. That sounds terrible." Nikita said.

In the Su-34, an interesting scene was going on. Pavlov was flying it, while his co-pilot was dead asleep. Amazingly, he was flying heavy fighter by himself, smoking a cigar, and alternating between left and right hand, the fingers moving as if they were on a piano. He was lip singing to "Mess Around", while a brutal dogfight was occurring right outside of him.

As he put his free hand to his mouth in the mimic of playing a trumpet to the jazz part of the song, a missile tore thru the cockpit, blowing up the Su-34, and killing the two pilots.

"It's heading right towards me!" PJ said, as he went head to head against the XB-0.

"XB-0 will be out of combat airspace in 10 minutes. It's your last chance to destroy it!" Eagle Eye warned.

The 3 pilots swarmed the XB-0, and started strafing it, taking out the defensive weapons it had, along with its engines.

"Fox 3." PJ said, firing a swarm of air-to-air missiles, taking out several of its engines.

"Switch hydraulic system to line B!" the captain said, as alarms showed several engines were offline.

Cipher fired the last of his missiles, followed by Nikita, then PJ. More of the XB-0s engines were destroyed, slowing the large bomber.

"Shut down block D!" the captain frantically said, as the end approached them.

"What's happening with damage control?" a crewmember asked, as fires started breaking out, inside the bomber.

"Pressure is dropping on valve 3."

"Cipher is unstoppable. He's gonna destroy everything in sight." PJ said, as Cipher destroyed the last engines, rendering the bomber unable to effectively move, and highly open to the final blow.

"Get some attacks in around the XB-0 cockpit. That should mess up his steering." Eagle Eye advised.

The 3 pilots took shared strafing runs, firing the last of their munitions at the XB-0 cockpit. Enough bullets broke thru the glass and tore up the inside.

"Shit!" the pilot shouted, as the cockpit around him exploded from all the battle damage.

"The XB-0 has taken a death blow! It was Cipher who did it." PJ said.

"Hey, you two also helped in taking this thing down." Cipher said.

"Nice work, Galm team. Operation complete." Eagle Eye said.

"Our death is not the end of everything. The rest is up to you!" an XB-0 crewmember said.

An F-15 flew away from the crashing XB-0, and sent a message to the Galm team.

"There's a coded message on the radio. It says 'Yo buddy. You still alive?'" PJ asked.

"Solo-wing Pixy. The bastard." Nikita said.

Cipher said nothing, but steeled his resolve to kill his former wingman. He looked at Nikita, and wondered how he was doing, being forced to kill his own comrades.


	20. Chapter 20round table and valley of king

Ch 20 Round table and Valley of Kings

With Valais air-base quickly repaired following the attacks, operations commenced immediately, finding where this anarchist organization was based out. It wasn't long until they found its location.

Olivier had the remaining pilots on base meet up in the briefing room.

"We've confirmed that the aircraft that attacked our base belonged to the major rebel organization, a world with no boundaries. This highly organized rebel army is comprised of soldiers from numerous countries, including Osea, Sapin, Yuketobania, and of course, Belka. They are believed to possess a massive arsenal of weapons."

"The coup forces have gathered at Mund, in northern Belka, where they confiscated the Avalon Dam, from the Belkan army. What's worse, is that we've discovered this facility houses and experimental V2 weapon. Unfortunately, it took us a long time to uncover this information, due to the facility's location under the damns water."

"Proceed immediately to Avalon and destroy the V2 weapon. B7R blocks your route from Valais to Mund. You will most likely encounter fierce resistance from the coup forces at B7R, and Mund. Remember to be prepared for attacks from land, air, or elsewhere. This mission will succeed upon the destruction of the V2 at the target area, and your safe return to base. Now go destroy that weapon and come back in one piece. Anything less is unacceptable. This war just doesn't want to end." Olivier said, the last part exasperated.

All the pilots at Valais took to the skies. Nikita, Cipher, and PJ head thru the round table, while everyone else took the long way to Mund, avoiding contact with the coup forces.

"Enemy aircraft detected close to Area B7R." Eagle Eye warned.

"There's no time to change course. Eliminate enemy forces in the Round Table, and break thru it."

8 Su-47 Berkuts appeared on radar, ready to stop the Galm team.

"Gault 1 to all units. Begin the operation. Let the victor, be justice."

"Aw fuck!" Nikita shouted, seeing the 8 plane formation.

"Demon lord of the round table. I was hoping to meet you under different circumstances." Gault 1 said.

"You don't have time to play around with them. Hurry and shoot them all down." Eagle Eye said.

"No shit." Nikita replied.

He fired his missiles, and shot down a Su-47, and quickly accelerated. In this fight, you had to be fast and quick.

"There's no meaning in the round table anymore. Why are you fighting?" PJ asked, shooting down 2 Su-47s.

"The war's ended long ago!" PJ shouted.

Nikita locked onto a Berkut, and fired his guns, taking him down. Seeing another, he chased after it, and shot the other target down as well.

"The table is surrounded by politicians who have never placed a foot on a battlefield." Gault 1 said.

"It's a necessary discussion to build a peaceful world." PJ replied.

"Its' a disgusting squabble to see who gets the largest share of the pie. And that's why it needs to end." Gault 1 replied.

"What do you mean?" PJ asked, confused.

"It is for that duty we raise the king." Gaul 1 cryptically said. "That's why we're fighting."

Another missile was fired, and another Su-47 was shot down.

"Another plane is down. Revise flight pattern." Gault 6 said.

"These guys are good." Nikita said, as he 'danced' with the Su-47s. He fired his guns in an attempt to scare the fighters close to him, and ended up shooting one down.

"Is this what it's like to fly in the Demon Lords sky?" a Gault pilot wondered, as he was forced to constantly maneuver thru the barrage of bullets and missiles from both sides.

"They make it look easy." PJ said, as he struggled to keep up with the more maneuverable enemy fighters.

"They're flying in unpredictable patterns." Gault 4 said, just before Nikita gunned him down.

"Demon Lord, what is it you hope to achieve on the battlefield?" Gault 1 asked.

"Let me ask you something. This organization. Your ideology. How much blood are you willing to shed to see it thru? What's it worth?" Nikita asked.

"Nothing." Gault one said. "Everything!" Gault 1 said, clenching his fist.

"This is only a checkpoint. I can't die yet." PJ said.

As he dodged missiles from Cipher, he said one more thing.

"It's ironic that we have to meet this way." Gault 1 said.

"Why do you say that?" PJ asked.

"Both of us have no ties to any country. We fight for our own ideals and beliefs. It's a pity we're on opposite sides. We could have flown the skies together." Gault 1 said.

"Demon Lord, you aren't supposed to be here." Gault 1 continued saying.

Gault 1 was the only enemy plane left. The trio of Ustio mercs chased him, but his flying skills were extremely good.

"I can't get this bastard." Cipher growled, forcing his Eagle into maneuvers it wasn't meant for. No matter how close he came, Gault 1 just jinked away like it was nothing. After minutes are high G maneuvering, PJ locked onto Gault 1, and fired his guns, peppering the plane with bullet holes.

"A world with no boundaries will eliminate all borders." Gault 1 said, before dying.

"All enemy planes are down. There has been no change in plans. Stay on course to target destination." Eagle Eye said.

Avalon Dam, Northern Belka

The Galm team quickly approached the fortress, and received a message from Eagle Eye.

"I'll transmit the latest data we've received from the allied forces. The dam is protected by an intensive anti-aircraft defense network. To deal with this, the allied squadron will draw antiaircraft fire to itself in the skies."

"Meanwhile, Galm team will join the allied squad's Avalon Dam strike team and approach the target at low altitude through the canyon. That's the only way we stand a chance at succeeding. If you destroy the V2 launch control facility, you should be able to stop the weapon from being fired."

"The V2 will probably be equipped with a nuclear warhead more powerful than the 7 nukes Belka used months earlier. All allied forces will be mobilized for this full scale operation. It seems this war doesn't want to come to an end. Destroy the V2 at any and all costs."

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us." Nikita said.

"Galm team, keep low to the water on your approach, or you will be shot down." Eagle Eye warned.

"Thanks for the heads up." Cipher said.

SAM sites and various anti-air guns littered the canyon, and they wasted no time and shooting down the allied aircraft.

"Galm 1, all hell's breaking loose above. Fly as low as possible to the target!" PJ said.

"Really? I didn't know that." Cipher spat, as his radar showed multiple enemy weapons ahead.

"Aw shit!" Nikita shouted, as he accelerated into the face of certain death. Luckily for him, the enemy SAM's failed to hit, but the allied pilots weren't so lucky.

"Savage 4 pulling out!"

"Joker 3's hit! 8 planes left!"

"If this keeps up, we won't be able to destroy the Dam!"

"Gizomo 2, hang in there! It won't be long until Galm team heads in there and takes out the V2."

"Domino 2 is down. 7 planes left!"

"Joker 2 is down. 6 planes left!"

"Damn! Menace 2 is hit. 5 planes left!"

"Damn it!" Nikita shouted in rage, angry that he wasn't able to help his fellow pilots.

"I feel like I'm about to hurl!" PJ shouted, as he accelerated thru the gauntlet that was the canyon.

"Domino 3 went down! 4 planes left! Come on!"

"The rest of us can still make it through this!"

"I won't let any more people die!"

"No! Domino leader's been taken out! 3 planes left!"

"If we can just make it through here." PJ said.

After a terrifying sortie thru the canyon, and many losses, they survivors flew over Avalon Dam.

"3 planes made it through!"

"Who made it through? Galm?"

"All planes draw the attack above. Galm team will handle the V2."

"We're gonna stop it no matter what. I don't want to see that barren land again." PJ said.

"Damn straight we're gonna stop it." Nikita agreed, as he fired a missile into a gun tower, destroying it.

The coup forces were quick to react.

"5 minutes to V2 launch."

"There are three launch control devices positioned at the base of the damn. Destroy them all!" Eagle Eye said.

As the remaining allied forces launched an all or nothing attack on the Dam, Wizard 1 from the organization began a speech to rally the coup forces.

"We will carry out the new creation of destruction through the power of righteousness. Territories, peoples, authorities. All will be liberated. This is the new state a world with no boundaries will create. Neither nations nor nationalities have any meaning. We will erase these unnecessary borders. The world with no boundaries will pen a new history. The world will change."

"Initiate anti-air fire. Light the sky on fire. Show them what Avalon is all about!"

Word soon spread who was leading the allied attacks.

"It's the demon lord. He's really here!"

"Engage in combat! There's only three of them!"

Nikita dodged SAM missiles, and fired in return, destroying them. His eye caught site of an anti-air gun being set into position. Keeping his eyes on it, he turned around, and strafed the crew, killing them.

"The control facility barriers are halfway closed. Move it, Galm team!" Eagle Eye urged.

The coup forces came close to launching V2.

"Phase one complete. Onto phase 2."

"Cut power from all facilities destroyed. Don't let the circuits short out."

Cipher flew into the tunnels, and started destroying anything in sight. AA weapons, power generators, anything. Nikita took notice, and flew into an adjacent tunnel.

"Oh shit." He muttered.

Flying thru the cramped tunnels, he saw several lock joints vital to the V2 missile. Nikita wasted no time in destroying them. The coup forces grew more desperate to get the nuke ready.

"Don't worry about friendly fire! Unload everything you got!"

"Hey Cipher, you finish the rest of the underground generators. I'm not going in their again." Niktia said.

"PJ, you follow me." Cipher said.

"What?" PJ asked.

"I'm running low on weapons. You'll have to take out what's left. Nikita, take care of business up here." Cipher said.

"I'll take care of it." Nikita said, firing his last missile into a SAM site.

"Initiate launch sequence." An Avalon staff member said.

"There's no time. Operate it manually. Skip steps 3-5."

"Move it into the launch position first."

"Guys, there about to launch the weapon. Hurry it up!" Nikita shouted.

"We're almost done here. Everything's clear in my tunnel. PJ?" Cipher asked.

"All done here." PJ said.

The two pilots flew out of the cramped tunnels, savoring the wide open sky.

"All V2 control facilities have been destroyed! Nice work." Eagle Eye said.

PJ was ecstatic.

"We did it! We stopped the V2 launch! We're gonna be rich!"

"We're confirming the situation. Cipher, PJ, Nikita. Stand by." Eagle Eye said.

"Now the war is finally over." PJ said, taking lead position in front of Cipher. "I got a girlfriend back at the base. I'm gonna propose to her when I get back. I even bought flowers."

"Warning, unknown target approaching." Eagle Eye said, as a laser shot, and a sparrow missile appeared.

"Damn it!" PJ shouted, as he maneuvered his fighter infront of Cipher, taking the shot.

"Shit!" Cipher shouted, seeing his wingman get shot down.

"No!" Nikita shouted, as the sparrow was heading towards him. He yanked on the ejection handle, and was shot out of his aircraft, seconds before the opposing missile destroyed it.

Out of the clouds, a large and menacing fighter appeared, armed to the teeth with advanced weaponry.

"So, have you found a reason to fight yet, Buddy?" Pixy asked.


	21. Chapter 21 Epilogue: Final interviews

Ch 21 Epilogue: final interviews

As I searched about the Demon Lord, I stumbled upon secret documents form the Union of Yuktobanian Republics. They detailed on a skilled squadron sent to fight in the Belkan war early on. I got a hold of the documents, and noticed that much of it was incomplete. The only part in full detail, was about a Nikita Bordin. He was the top scoring Yuke ace in the Belkan war, behind Cipher and Pixy in terms of skill and combat kills.

The other documents cut off. It was about his squadron members, Vasili Ilych, the second in command. Julia Kazakova, the dogfighter. And Pavlov Mustang, the ground attacker. The documents of those three were cut off, after the decisive battle of Waldriech. Official documents of the Yuktobanian air-force says they were killed in combat.

Not satisfied, I pursued the loose ends, and found what I was looking for.

Ciningrad, Yuktobania

27 OCT. 2005.

Vasili Ilych. Former Lieutenant of the Yuktobanian air-force. 10th air division, 33rd tactical fighter squadron. He's been missing for some time along with his fellow squad mates, Julia and Pavlov. He disappeared after the decisive battle of Waldreich. In late 1995, he appeared with the coup forces in the attacks of Lumen and Valais air-base. After getting shot down, he was quickly extradited by the Yuke government and thrown into prison. He is currently serving a life-long prison term with no parole.

 _Camera shows Vasili in a dark jail cell_

"Demon lord is right. That bastard had to stop us from doing what was right. If he hadn't appeared, thing's would be a lot different than they are now. I will never regret joining a world with no boundaries. We were supposed to be the saviors of humanity, but the pilots of the damned from Ustio, led by the king of darkness stopped us. A world with no boundaries. Well, I'm in it. Living in this hell. Wish to God I'd have died in that battle. But, the demon lord will get his retribution. It happens to everyone."

Sudentor, Northern Osea/Southern Belka

7 NOV. 2005

Julia Kazakova. Former Lieutenant of the Yuktobanian air-force. 10th air division, 33rd tactical fighter squadron. She's been missing for some time along with her fellow squad mates, Vasili and Pavlov. She disappeared after the decisive battle of Waldreich. In late 1995, she appeared with the coup forces in the attacks of Lumen and Valais air-base. After that, she escaped authorities, and is working as a college professor in the city of Sudentor.

 _Camera shows Julia in an office_

"Demon Lord was right. Everything he shot at, fell apart. I still can't believe it. That bastard. And my former comrade, Nikita sided with him, and shot down my squad-mates in an inhumane fashion. It was then I knew things had changed, and it was up to us to change things for the better. But those bastards prevented us from doing so. Now, we are stuck in this hell of our lives. Unable to move or do anything else. Such misery."

Unknown cemetery, Belka

9 NOV. 2005

Pavlov Mustang. Former Lieutenant of the Yuktobanian air-force. 10th air division, 33rd tactical fighter squadron. He's been missing for some time along with his fellow squad mates, Julia and Pavlov. He disappeared after the decisive battle of Waldreich. In late 1995, he appeared with the coup forces in the attacks of Lumen and Valais air-base. Shortly after that, his corpse, along with the remains of his Su-34 was found near the Steir castle, after the second battle of Waldreich. There is little information about the whole story, being guarded in secrecy by the governments of Belka, Ustio, and Yuktobania.

 _Camera zooms in on a makeshift grave, made from parts of the fighter jet. Words are scratched into the metal plating._

" _The gate to the new world has been opened. The two mothers, same yet different, shall cross paths. The old shall pass on, and the young shall rise forever. When the sleeping king awakes, he shall execute judgment and vengeance on the wrong."_

Directus, Ustio

15 NOV. 2005

General Olivier Mira Armstrong. Former top General of the Ustio military. She led her country's armed forces throughout the entire war, even into the fighting with AWWNB. During the war, she was elected as acting president of her country. When the war ended, she retired from the military and took her elected place as leader of the Republic of Ustio.

 _Camera shows Olivier sitting in a chair inside a large office._

"Him? He was a damn good pilot. Goes without saying. I pushed my soldiers hard. I had to, considering the desperate situation my country was in. He never gave up on fighting his opponents, and proved himself in battle over and over again. The few times I flew with my pilots in the war, I saw that he never hesitated to head into the heat of battle. Demon Lord is the perfect nickname. I was beginning to wonder if he was human or not. If there's a war going on, he's in that war, fighting to the bitter end."

Valais air-base, Ustio

17 NOV. 2005

Nikita Bordin. Former Lieutenant of the Yuktobanian air-force. 10th air division, 33rd tactical fighter squadron. He fought with the Ustio 6th air division in the entire war, from beginning to end. He currently is a flight instructor at Valais air-base, and helped build up the air-force to its previous strength.

 _Camera shows Nikita sitting next to an F5E._

"I remember him. He helped turn the tide against the Belkan military. I never really got to know him. But when I looked into his eyes, I could tell he enjoyed flying. Demon Lord fit him as well, because he was a fucking juggernaut. Nothing stood a chance against him. After the battle at Avalon Dam, he just packed up his bags and left. I never really knew why, but he'd been thru a lot. He's seen countless people die in the war, many by his own hand. He'd been betrayed, and had his squad mates get shot down in front of his eyes. I think he wanted to search for his own peace. I don't know if he found it or not. If you do meet him, and he's looking for a place to stay, tell him to come to Valais air-base. He's always welcome here."


End file.
